T 


^•i 


5 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


MISTRESS   BRENT 

A  Story  of  Lord  Baltimore  s  Colony 
in  1638 


Lucy  Meacham  Thruston 

Illustrated  by  Charles  Grunwald 


Boston 

Little,  Brown,  and  Company 
1901 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


"  ''Tis  what  Maryland  is  destined  to  be  some  day"* 

Frontispiece 

"  '  I  love  thee,  sweetheart,  beyond  the  telling,  beyond 

the  dreaming '" Page     79 

"  From  every  loophole  the  guns  held  them  at  bay"        "      136 

"  <  Margaret,'  he  whispered  faintly,  and  then  a  great 

agony  shook  him  " "     285 

'"Gentlemen,   I    come  to  claim    a    vote    in    this 

Assembly'" "     333 


MISTRESS  BRENT 


I 


"  A    |    "\HE  day  is  far  too  fine  to  remain  within 

doors  !  "   complained  Mistress  Brent, 

-*-          as  she  moved  restlessly  from  window 

to  door ;  "  come,  put  up  thy  'broidery,  Mary,  and 

see  the  town." 

Her  sister  shook  her  fair  head.  "  The  town !  " 
she  cried,  and  then  laughed  mockingly. 

"  Yea,  the  town  !  "  declared  Mistress  Margaret, 
whose  temper,  never  of  the  most  even,  was  easily 
tried  by  tedious  days  indoors.  "  Faith,  child,  thou 
knowest  not  what  some  day  it  may  be  !  " 

"May  be!" 

"  An  thou  mockest  like  a  parrot,  I  will  have 
none  of  thee ! " 

Mistress  Brent  walked  quickly  across  the  long 
living-room  and  flung  open  the  door  at  the  side. 
"  Mistress  Hawley !  "  she  called,  imperiously.  A 
tall,  gracious  woman  with  youth,  yet  steadfast  dig- 
nity, written  on  her  calm  face  was  standing  in  the 
middle  of  the  kitchen  floor,  gazing  up  to  the  raf- 


2  MISTRESS    BRENT 

ters  overhead,  from  which  her  winter's  hoard  was 
fast  disappearing.  She  turned  quickly  and  looked 
at  Mistress  Margaret  with  eyes  so  quiet  and  so 
kind  that  her  slight  temper  passed  as  quickly  as 
an  April  shower. 

"  Thou  art  busy,"  she  complained,  as  she  went 
with  quick  movements  to  her  side  and  wound  her 
arm  about  Mistress  Hawley's  slender  figure ;  "  what 
is  a  ne'er-do-naught  like  me  to  do?  " 

"  Ne'er-do-naught,"  said  Mistress  Hawley,  slowly ; 
"  I  should  ne'er  have  thought  of  thee  as  such ;  truly 
thou  seemest  one  born  for  work." 

"And  why?"  cried  Mistress  Margaret,  gleefully. 

"  Gray  eyes  are  not  oft  the  sign  of  laziness," 
quoth  Mistress  Hawley,  lightly. 

"But  what  is  one  to  do?  Mary  is  forever 
dawdling  o'er  her  embroidery,  or  else  prinking 
her  dress,  or  gazing  on  her  complexion  which 
she  declares  the  long  sea-voyage  hath  ruined,  and 
thou — -"she  shrugged  her  shoulders  and  looked 
about  her.  Here  in  this  great  kitchen  was  work 
enough  for  any  good  housewife's  hands,  and  Mis- 
tress Hawley  had  held  the  palm  for  such  in  the 
settlement  at  St.  Mary's  since  its  planting  four 
years  ago. 

"  Faith !  "  cried  her  guest,  gazing  likewise  up- 
wards at  the  smokened  rafters,  "  we  have  made 
sad  havoc  in  thy  stores.  A  month  agone  and 


MISTRESS   BRENT  3 

many  a  fine  flitch  of  bacon  hung  there.  Our  fol- 
lowing hath  well  nigh  doubled  thy  household." 

"  And  more,"  added  Mistress  Hawley ;  "  yet 
thou  knowest  thou  art  as  welcome  as  —  as  spring 
sunshine." 

"  Aye,  and  it  shines  too  glorious  now  to  stay 
within.  Leave  thy  work  and  idle  with  me.  Come, 
what  sayest  thou  to  taking  the  air  ?  " 

"  Is  there  cause  —  " 

"  Nay,  but  to  loiter  in  the  sunshine.  I  care 
not  to  be  alone ;  we  are  but  new-comers,  and  there 
are  enough  loiterers  about  to  stare  one  out  of 
countenance." 

"  I  doubt  it,"  said  Mistress  Hawley;  "they  have 
gone  one  by  one.  There  have  been  serious  and 
exciting  times  within  St.  Mary's  this  spring,  but 
there  is  quiet  now,  or  soon  will  be.  The  men 
have  gone  to  their  plantations  and  about  their 
work." 

"Twas  time,"  declared  Mistress  Brent,  still 
credulous. 

"  But  thou  hast  not  fully  understood  the  matter 
which  brought  them  hither." 

"  And  I  care  not  now ;  come,  thou  wilt  go  with 
me !  " 

Mistress  Hawley  laughed,  a  low,  rippling  laugh 
as  though  it  came  from  depths  of  content  —  may- 
hap a  content  hardly  striven  for,  yet  truly  gained. 


4  MISTRESS    BRENT 

"  Well,  well,  so  be  it !  "  She  turned  to  the  woman 
who  sat  near  the  wide  hearth,  "  Chris,  tend  the 
fowl,  let  there  be  no  burning,  now !  " 

"  Art  ready?  "  She  turned  and  led  the  way  into 
the  hall  where  hung  her  cloak.  "  Thy  gown  is 
scarce  fit  for  our  streets ! "  she  exclaimed,  as  she 
threw  the  cloak  about  her  shoulders  and  drew  the 
hood  over  the  thick  fair  hair  piled  high  upon  her 
well-poised  head ;  "  rain-puddles  and  ruts  —  " 

"  Tut !  the  length  is  soon  remedied  !  "  Mistress 
Margaret  caught  the  long  lengths  of  bright  silk 
and  pinned  them  back  from  the  flowered  petticoat, 
and  tucked  the  train  in  the  fastening.  "  Now  am 
I  ready,"  she  declared,  as  she  seized  a  wide  hat 
and  tied  the  strings  beneath  her  chin. 

"  Thou  seemest  as  bright  as  the  bluebirds  I 
saw  this  morn  !  " 

Mistress  Margaret  laughed  at  the  flattery  as 
they  opened  the  door,  crossed  the  narrow  yard, 
and  turned  down  the  lane  which  the  settlers  called 
Mattaponi  Street. 

There  was  no  house  upon  it  save  Mistress  Haw- 
ley's,  and  the  coffee-house  anear  where  Giles  Brent 
tarried  till  he  and  his  sisters  should  be  settled. 
They  saw  naught  of  him  as  they  went  slowly  down 
the  lane,  picking  their  way  betwixt  the  rain-pools 
that  shone  bright  in  the  sunshine  or  were  ruffled 
with  the  light  wind;  the  grass  in  the  street  and 


MISTRESS   BRENT  5 

fields  was  green,  but  the  buds  upon  the  trees  were 
scarce  unfolding,  so  shrewishly  cold  had  been  the 
spring-tide;  now  the  touch  of  the  air  upon  the 
cheek  was  soft  as  the  fluff  of  down  against  it,  or 
as  if  one  drew  one's  fingers  lovingly  across  the 
breadths  of  Eastern  silks,  and  the  smell  of  fresh 
earth  mingled  with  the  salt  of  the  great  water  near 
was  sweeter  far  than  Eastern  perfumes. 

"  An  there  were  many  days  like  this ! "  cried 
Mistress  Margaret,  as  she  turned  her  bright  face 
from  side  to  side  looking  about  her. 

"  Poor  child  !  "  said  her  friend,  pityingly,  "  our 
New  World  hath  treated  thee  harshly :  storms  and 
delays  at  sea,  and  rains  and  winds  ashore." 

Mistress  Margaret's  piquant  face  was  sober  for 
many  minutes,  as  if  she  thought  on  much  safe- 
hidden  in  her  own  heart;  and  then  she  said  lowly, 
as  if  to  herself,  "  And  yet  the  spring-tide  cometh !  " 

"Truly  it  doth,  sweetheart;  think  not  as  many 
say  there  is  but  one  spring-tide  of  life,  that  it  is 
but  a  green  and  sappy  youth  which  rushes  to  a 
brief  summer,  and  all  else  of  life  is  but  a  winter, 
long  and  drear,  and  gray  and  lonely.  Through  all 
our  life  our  spring-tide  is  renewed,  if,"  she  added 
reverently,  "  we  look  to  One  who  is  our  life." 

"  True,  many  a  time,"  she  went  on,  "  our  fairest 
hopes  fall  rustling  like  dead  leaves  about  us,  and 
we  look  through  the  bare  branches  of  our  life  and 


6  MISTRESS    BRENT 

think  there  is  naught  left;  but  the  buds  put  out 
slowly  and  grow  in  sunshine,  in  rain,  in  hope,  in 
sorrow,  'til  life  is  screened  again  with  joy." 

"  But  not  the  first  joy !  "  declared  Mistress  Mar- 
garet passionately,  as  though  the  words  held  some 
hidden  meaning  for  her,  —  and,  truth,  they  did. 
Mistress  Hawley  had  ne'er  broken  the  reserve  she 
held  and  spoken  such,  had  she  not  noted  the  long, 
moody  silences  that  fell  now  and  then  upon  her 
bright  visitant,  the  hollow  eyes  and  pale  cheeks 
which  showed,  sometime,  there  was  war  within 
her. 

"  Not  the  same ! "  Mistress  Hawley  echoed, 
placidly ;  "  but  fuller,  stronger !  "  And  then  she 
was  quiet,  the  sermon  had  been  long  enough. 

They  turned  toward  the  river,  where  the  homes 
of  the  settlers  were  huddled  close  on  either  side. 
Here  the  narrow  point  betwixt  two  creeks  was 
divided  by  Middle  Street.  They  passed  the  small 
chapel,  the  governor's  house,  deep  set  in  trees 
showing  their  pale-green  branches  against  the 
azure  sky,  the  market  square,  grass-grown  and 
deserted,  and  beyond  it  the  water-mill  turned 
lazily  by  the  ebbing  tide. 

Down  the  street  they  loitered  past  houses  of 
painter  or  cobbler  or  lawyer  to  the  great  white 
mulberry  at  the  sandy  point  above  the  wharf. 

Before  them  spread   the  river,  wide  and   blue 


MISTRESS   BRENT  7 

and  deep,  shining  like  silver,  or  dyed  blue  as  the 
purple  violets  blooming  in  the  door-yards ;  here  it 
was  still  and  calm,  there  the  light  wind  ruffled  it, 
and  there  the  westward  sun  struck  a  sparkling 
pathway  across,  shimmering  and  changeful.  Mis- 
tress Margaret  drew  a  long,  sighing  breath  of 
delight. 

"  A  wondrous  fair  scene,"  said  Mistress  Hawley, 
softly. 

"  Come  to  the  river's  edge  !  "  commanded  Mis- 
tress Brent,  as  she  walked  quickly  forward. 

The  wharf  where  Mistress  Margaret's  foot  had 
first  touched  the  New  World  a  month  agone  was 
deserted ;  the  boats  which  lay  there  —  canoes  and 
dugouts  and  the  good  ship  that  had  brought  them 
thither  —  rose  and  fell  idly  upon  the  tide ;  the 
sand  of  the  wide,  white  beach  was  firm  and  dry, 
and  Margaret  seated  herself  lazily  upon  a  log  of 
driftwood  and  began  to  stir  up  the  sand  with  the 
toe  of  her  dainty  shoe. 

"  Come,  be  a  child,  Mistress  Katharine !  "  she 
cried  gayly,  with  a  mischievous  enjoyment  of  the 
red  on  her  friend's  cheek  at  the  unwonted  use  of 
her  name. 

She  picked  up  a  stick  smoothed  by  many  a 
journey  on  many  a  wave,  and  began  idly  to  add 
to  the  shining  sand-heap,  and  that  being  not  swift 
enough,  fell  to  work  with  a  great  oyster-shell  she 


8  MISTRESS   BRENT 

picked  from  the  beach.  The  waves  far  out  came 
in  soft  whispering  curves  along  the  beach,  gulls 
and  fish-hawks  sunned  their  strong  wings  or  flashed 
for  prey  under  the  blue  waves  and  went  circling 
away  with  plaintive  cries  and  shrill  shrieks,  and 
from  across  the  narrow  boundaries  of  the  creeks 
that  ran  beyond  the  houses  came  the  sough  of  the 
vast  unlimited  forests. 

But  warm  as  the  sunshine  fell,  soft  as  the  waves 
whispered,  Mistress  Hawley's  energy  could  ill  bide 
such  idling. 

"  An  thou  must  play  in  the  sand,"  she  remon- 
strated, laughingly,  "  I  must  leave  thee." 

Mistress  Margaret  sprang  to  her  feet.  "And 
I,"  she  looked  searchingly  up  the  sandy  street, 
no  one  was  abroad,  "I  —  I  would  fain  see  my 
cousin,  the  governor." 

"  He  visited  thee  but  yesterday." 

"And  there  was  Mary  and  Giles  and  — "  she 
stopped,  biting  her  lip ;  Mistress  Hawley,  as  was 
fitting,  also  entertained  the  governor  when  he  was 
visiting  in  her  house. 

"  There  is  somewhat  I  must  say  to  him  alone," 
she  added,  lamely. 

Mistress  Hawley  turned  away  proudly.  "An 
it  be  pressing,  I  will  see  to  thy  opportunity." 

Mistress  Margaret  opened  her  lips  as  though 
to  speak,  but  shut  them  tightly;  the  words  were 


MISTRESS   BRENT  9 

ill-considered,  and  she  had  learned  to  love  this 
quiet,  lonely  woman  since  the  day  she  had  first 
made  them  welcome  in  her  home. 

Yet  the  silence  betwixt  them  was  oppressive  as 
they  walked  up  the  street,  though  as  they  neared 
the  governor's  house  they  paused. 

"  The  governor  is  the  head  of  the  settlement," 
said  Mistress  Brent,  mutinously,  "and  his  house 
must  be  ever  open  to  the  settlers." 

"  But  not  for  such  as  thou  to  visit  him  alone," 
declared  Mistress  Hawley,  austerely. 

Mistress  Margaret  paused  by  the  gateway;  the 
thought  which  impelled  her  was  no  new  freak  of 
obstinacy,  but  the  one  which  had  prompted  a 
severance  of  the  strong,  dear  ties  to  England, 
which  had  upborne  her  in  days  of  deadly  sea- 
sickness, which  had  comforted  her  when  her  heart 
fair  sank  from  disappointment  at  the  raw  poverty 
of  the  town  of  St.  Mary's  about  which  her  cousin, 
the  Lord  Baltimore,  made  such  talk  and  stir.  But 
never  since  she  had  landed  had  there  been  a 
chance  for  talk  as  she  craved  with  Leonard  Cal- 
vert.  She  must  make  her  chance. 

"  Thou  wilt  not  think  me  overbold,"  she  pleaded, 
loath  to  offend  Mistress  Hawley. 

"  An  thou  art  resolved,  I  will  go  with  thee ; 
come ! "  as  she  noted  the  pout  upon  Mistress 
Margaret's  red  lips.  "There  are  some  hints  of 


io  MISTRESS   BRENT 

cheese-making  I  oft  have  promised  his  house- 
keeper, there  will  be  milk  and  to  spare  soon ;  't  is 
good  time  to  have  speech  of  her,  and  'twill  save 
thee  the  wagging  of  a  gossip's  tongue  likewise." 

Of  all  things  on  which  Mistress  Brent  ever 
thought,  the  gossip's  tongue  came  last;  still  she 
went,  thankful  of  Mistress  Hawley's  thoughtfulness. 

It  was  the  governor  himself  who  espied  them 
as  they  came  up  the  garden  walk  sprinkled  with 
gravel  from  the  fiver's  beach.  The  grass  was 
green  on  either  side  and  the  buds  on  the  em- 
bowering trees  were  swelling,  but  there  was  no 
hint  of  flowers  in  the  garden,  nor  hint  of  luxury 
within.  The  governor  lived  as  sparsely  as  the 
simplest  of  his  settlers. 

"  Welcome !  "  he  cried,  as  he  came  down  the 
step  of  the  narrow  porch  to  meet  them.  "You 
do  us  much  honor,  fair  cousin!  'tis  not  oft  such 
visitors  delight  us."  He  ushered  them  into  the 
room  from  which  he  had  come,  but  Mistress 
Hawley  paused  at  the  doorway. 

"  Mistress  Brent  hath  something  she  would  fain 
say  to  thee,"  she  said,  quietly,  "  and  I  have  an 
errand  with  thy  housekeeper — nay,  I  can  find 
her;  see  thou  to  Mistress  Brent." 

The  governor  turned  to  his  cousin,  who,  now  that 
the  chance  for  which  she  longed  and  which  she  had 
so  boldly  plucked  was  hers,  turned  faint-hearted. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  n 

But  Calvert,  used  to  many  men  and  many 
moods,  and  used  to  hearing  many  a  tale  within 
that  bare  room,  understood  her.  He  pulled  his 
great  chair  from  the  table  where  it  stood  to  the 
fireside. 

"  Mayhap  thou  art  chilled  by  the  air,"  he 
began. 

"  Nay,  the  sunshine  is  glorious." 

"  It  calls  one  to  other  work  than  this,"  said 
Calvert,  speaking  in  his  slow,  deliberate  fashion; 
"  clerkly  work  is  ever  hardest  such  a  day." 

"And  thine  —  " 

"  Is  getting  ready  these  letters  ere  the  sailing  of 
the  '  Elizabeth.' " 

"Doth  she  return  so  soon?" 

"  Aye,  her  business  is  done,  she  hath  discharged 
her  ventures  and  gathered  her  cargo;  'tis  time  she 
returned." 

Mistress  Brent  looked  long  and  thoughtfully  at 
the  flame  which  wrapped  the  oaken  log  upon  the 
fire.  The  "  Elizabeth  "  had  been  chartered  to  bring 
them  across  seas,  now  she  was  ready  to  return. 
Ships  were  uncertain ;  when  would  there  be  news 
of  England,  or  passing  to  and  fro?  She  turned 
with  a  quick  sigh.  The  table  near  her  was  littered 
with  papers  dusty  and  new,  quills  broken  and 
fresh,  and  ink-crusted  ink-horn,  wax,  and  seal  of 
Maryland  newly  engraved  —  the  table  of  a  man 


12  MISTRESS   BRENT 

with  clerkly  duties  forced  upon  him  and  to  whom 
such  duties  were  distasteful.  Near  her  lay  a  half- 
opened  parchment  with  many  lines  across  it.  She 
knew  it  at  once. 

"  'Tis  the  map  of  Captain  Smith,"  she  exclaimed, 
as  she  drew  it  toward  her. 

"  Of  Captain  Evelin,"  corrected  Calvert. 

"  But  't  is  founded  on  Captain  Smith's.  I  saw 
it  at  my  cousin's  castle  of  Arundel." 

"  With  many  an  embellishment,"  said  Calvert, 
whimsically. 

"  Truth !  what  means  this?  and  this?  "  she  asked 
eagerly,  pointing  to  many  terms  and  explanations. 

"  Evelin  will  have  it  't  is  what  Maryland  is  des- 
tined to  be  some  day." 

Mistress  Brent  read  eagerly.  Here  was  talk  of 
lordships  and  baronies  and  manors,  and  the  color 
mounted  high  on  her  round  cheek. 

"  'T  is  a  fair  future !  "  she  declared,  a  ring  of 
triumph  in  her  voice. 

"Thinkest  so?  " 

"Why  not?  'tis  what  my  Lord  of  Baltimore 
himself  expects." 

Calvert  moved  impatiently.  "  Thou  and  Evelin 
came  fresh  from  his  influence." 

"  Captain  Evelin  I  know  not,  though  there  hath 
been  much  talk  of  him.  But,  my  cousin  of  Balti- 
more—  Cousin  Calvert,"  she  added,  with  a  sharp, 


MISTRESS   BRENT  13 

quick   turn   of  speech,   "  't  is   of  this   business   I 
would  speak  with  thee." 

Calvert's  eyes  were  wide  with  surprise,  and  yet 
he  held  himself  expectant. 

"  When  I  did  visit  my  Lord  ere  we  sailed,  there 
were  certain  promises  he  made  me.  I  have  them 
in  his  writ,  but  I  thought  not  to  see  thee.  We 
have  come  thither,  my  sister  Mary  and  I,  not  as 
appurtenances  of  my  brother's  household,  but  as 
separate  venturers." 
"But  —  " 

"  My  Lord  of  Baltimore  hath  promised  that  we 
shall   take   up   lands  according  to   the  rights  he 
hath  opened  to  all.     Nay,  hear   me  to  the  end, 
then  have  thy  say.     We  have  brought  hither  ten 
servants ;  we  are  entitled  to  a  lot  within  the  town 
and  a  thousand  acres  to  erect  into  a  manor." 
"  Surely  —  thou  —  a  woman  —  defenceless  —  " 
"  My  men  are  sufficient  to  protect  me." 
"  They  might,  were  a  man  their  leader." 
"  And  will,  with  a  woman  for  head." 
"  To   go   into   this  wilderness !    thou   hast   not 
dreamt   a  tithe   its  dangers.      True,  the   Indians 
molest  us  not  and  are  forbid  to  cross  the  Patux- 
ent,   one    is   scarce   seen    in   a    six-month;    but 
further  away  —  and   then,  the  wild   beasts  —  't  is 
folly,  madness !  " 

"  Thou   wilt   find   it   sense,"    declared   Mistress 


i4  MISTRESS    BRENT 

Margaret,  springing  impatiently  to  her  feet  and 
shaking  thereby  the  long  folds  of  her  silken  train 
from  their  fastenings. 

Calvert  looked  at  the  slim,  straight  figure  in 
its  silken  draperies,  at  the  slender  throat  bared 
by  the  collar  that  rose  stiff-starched  behind  her 
dark  hair,  but  came  low  and  narrow  fair  to  her 
bust,  at  the  small  hands  meshed  in  lace. 

"  Cousin,"  he  said  gravely,  as  he  lifted  her  slen- 
der fingers  in  his,  "  such  is  not  the  work  for  thee." 

"Then  what  is  it,  prithee?"  cried  Mistress 
Margaret  petulantly,  though  her  eyes  fell  before 
the  look  she  saw — half  mocking,  halt  admiring  — 
on  her  cousin's  face. 

"  'T  is  such  as  thou,"  he  said,  as  he  kissed  the 
fingers,  according  to  his  cousinly  prerogative, 
"  will  make  the  heaven  of  our  New  World  — " 

"Then  what  wouldst  thou  have  me  do?  There 
is  scarce  room  in  Mistress  Hawley's  for  our 
chests.  We  crowd  her,  and  methinks  might 
starve  her,  too." 

"  There  can  be  no  starvation  in  St.  Mary's," 
asserted  Calvert,  proudly,  "  'tis  the  tale  of  James- 
town and  of  Plymouth;  we  have  had  to  spare. 
Yet  will  I  look  to  it  that  Mistress  Hawley  suffers 
not." 

"  Thou  wilt  see  she  is  plenished  at  our  ex- 
pense," begged  Mistress  Brent. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  15 

"  Thou  art  the  guest  of  the  settlement,"  said 
Calvert,  gravely,  '"til  thy  brother  is  ready  for 
thee." 

Mistress  Brent  lifted  her  small  head  proudly. 

"  He  hath  been  with  me  but  this  morn,"  said 
Calvert,  quickly;  "his  grants  are  already  made." 

"Where?" 

The  governor  rolled  out  the  parchment  map. 
"  Here  on  this  side  the  creek,  behind  our  house. 
'Tis  not  in  the  town  proper;  he  will  have  a 
hundred  acres  there.  'Twill  be  most  desirable," 
he  added,  musingly;  "the  land  will  run  from  the 
river  to  the  street  of  Mattaponi,  and  there  will  be 
room  for  park  and  shrubbery,  lawn  and  garden, 
an  he  so  desire." 

"  And  the  land  nearest  him,  is  it  yet  unclaimed?  " 

Calvert  nodded  his  assent. 

"Then,  good  cousin,  it  is  ours.  See  thou 
grantest  it  not  to  another,  else  will  my  Lord  of 
Baltimore's  anger  be  hot." 

"  'Tis  hot  enough,  good  faith,  already." 

"  Then,"  cried  Mistress  Brent,  glad  enough  now 
she  had  fired  her  shot  to  lurk  somewhat  in  am- 
bush, "why  dost  thou  vex  him  so?" 

"  I  —  vex  him !  " 

"Did  he  not  tell  me  of  the  many  things  he 
asked  of  thee,  and  thy  churlish  refusal  e'en  to 
notice  them  ?  " 


i6  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"  And  he  told  thee  such  idle  tales  !  " 
"We  talked  of  little  else  save  Maryland,"  said 
Mistress  Brent. 

"And  he  told  thee  this  when  —  Cousin,  thou 
hast  heard  the  gossip  of  the  town?  Hast  heard 
of  the  Assembly  convened  here?  hast  heard  of  the 
laws  sent  over  by  my  brother?  hast  heard  how 
the  settlers  disdained  them?  hast  heard  of  our 
trouble  with  Kent  ?  and  yet,  with  this  mountain 
pressing  upon  me,  he  will  write  and  —  and  ask 
for  redbirds  or  how  fareth  his  drove  of  goats, 
forsooth." 


"  See  !  here  are  the  letters  I  have  writ  him  to 
be  sent  by  the  '  Elizabeth.'  "  He  unfolded  the 
parchment,  but  Mistress  Hawley,  her  errand 
done,  came  to  recall  her  guest. 

"  T  is  late,"  she  declared,  "  and  I  must  home  ;  " 
and  then  with  quick  housewifely  eye  she  searched 
the  room,  the  litter  of  dusty  papers  on  the  table, 
the  tarnished  silver  of  the  candlestick,  the  un- 
kempt hearth.  "Truly  the  governor's  house- 
keeper might  keep  his  house  in  better  condi- 
tion !  "  she  told  herself  indignantly,  and  then  a 
feeling  she  had  oft  felt,  a  pity  for  the  man, 
though  he  was  brother  to  my  Lord  Proprietor  and 
governor  of  Maryland,  asserted  itself. 

"Wilt   thou   not   come   with   us?"  she  asked; 


MISTRESS    BRENT  17 

"thou  hast  no  guest,  thy  supper  will  be  solitary 
else." 

The  governor  folded  the  letters  quickly  and 
slipped  them  in  the  pocket  of  his  velvet  doublet. 
"  That  will  I  gladly !  "  he  declared,  and  he  went 
with  them,  talking  lightly,  out  into  the  spring 
sunshine,  which  threw  long  shadows  across  his 
lawn,  and  down  the  street  and  lane. 

The  cowherds  were  driving  in  the  cattle  and 
Mistress  Hawley  hurried  on;  her  dairy  was  her 
pride.  In  her  hall  she  left  them,  and  Mistress 
Brent  smiled  as  she  entered  the  wide  low-raftered 
living-room  where  no  one  tarried;  truly  at  last 
she  could  see  the  governor  face  to  face  and 
alone,  and,  womanlike,  she  thought  to  manage 
him  by  this  new  clue  he  had  given  her,  the  con- 
fidence of  his  grievances. 

It  seemed  the  hour  of  confidences;  the  sweet 
influences  of  the  fresh  spring  day,  the  inviting 
glow  of  the  low-burning  fire,  and  the  witchery 
of  the  woman  who  was  of  his  own  race  and 
blood,  and  who  was  the  only  one,  save  Mistress 
Hawley,  too  grave  and  reticent  and  akin  to  his 
own  disposition  to  invite  his  confessions,  who 
had  come  in  touch  with  his  life  since  he  sailed 
from  England  four  years  agone,  all  made  it  so. 

With  a  sigh  of  content  he  settled  himself 
within  the  chair  Mary  had  left  vacant,  but  what- 


18  MISTRESS    BRENT 

ever  his  mood,  Mistress  Brent  left  him  little  time 
for  gallantry,  though  voice  was  soft  and  eyes 
were  bright  and  lips  were  red,  it  was  of  those 
letters  she  spoke,  and  quickly,  ere  the  talk  would 
be  on  other  themes. 

"  And  wouldst  thou  know  while  this  Kentish 
thorn  is  in  our  side  and  while  the  settlers  defy 
his  power,  for  what  my  brother  chides  me ;  listen 
to  what  I  writ  this  bright  day  whilst  thou  couldst 
wander  abroad." 

He  looked  hurriedly  down  the  first  few  sen- 
tences. "  Here,"  he  said,  earnestly.  1 "  '  The  cedar 
you  writ  for  by  him  I  could  not  procure  to  send 
this  yeare  by  reason  there  is  very  few  to  be  found 
that  are  useful  timber  trees ;  two  I  heard  of  far  up 
in  Patuxent  River,  and  two  others  upon  Popelyes 
Island  in  the  bay  nere  to  Kent,  and  the  freight 
and  other  charges  for  the  shipping  them  will  be 
so  dear  that  I  made  a  question  whether  you 
would  think  fitt  to  undergo  it:  it  will  stand  in 
eight  or  ten  pounds  a  tonne  freight  for  England.'  " 

He  looked  across  at  his  cousin,  her  slim  figure 
was  erect  in  her  low  chair,  the  shine  of  the  firelight 
was  on  her  bright  face.  "And  this,"  he  said: 

"'The  matts  which  you  wrote  for  amount  to 
such  a  charge  to  be  brought  from  the  Indians 

1  Maryland  Historical  Society  Fund  Publications,  Calvert 
Letters. 


MISTRESS    BRENT  19 

that  I  had  not  sufficient  means  to  purchase  it, 
it  is  not  lesse  than  forty  pounds  worth  of  truck 
out  of  England  will  buy  350  yards  of  matt,  be- 
sides the  charge  of  making  them  in  twenty  several 
Indian  towns,  for  unless  they  be  bespoken  there 
is  very  few  to  be  had  but  such  as  are  not  worth 
buying  to  give  a  friend,  and  besides  for  the  use 
you  intend  them  it  is  necessaire  they  be  all  of  one 
make,  else  they  cannot  flower  a  room;  and  before 
I  shall  procure  so  many  yards,  I  must  send  all 
the  province  ouer.' "... 

"  '  The  redbird  your  lordship  did  desire  I  did 
obtain,  and  yet  was  most  unfortunate,  for  my 
servant,  who  kept  it  caged,  did  neglect  it  whereby 
it  died.'" 

He  read  here  and  there  from  the  long  letters 
he  had  writ. 

"  And  't  is  of  this  he  thinks,  whilst  —  " 

"  Cousin  Calvert,"  interrupted  Mistress  Brent, 
softly,  "  thou  canst  scarce  understand,  since  this 
venture  hath  not  turned  out  so  ill  as  his  father's 
of  Avalon,  thy  brother  hath  mighty  dreams. 
Witness  the  map  of  Captain  Evelin  which  hath 
already  had  his  approval.  'T  is  as  if  he  were  a 
prince  of  a  far  country,"  she  added,  half  in  banter, 
"  he  must  show  to  those  about  him  the  stuffs  of 
his  far-off  province.  The  redbird  must  sing  his 
song  or  show  his  plumage,  and  the  mats  of  queer 


20  MISTRESS  BRENT 

sweet  grass  must  tapestry  his  hall  or  be  made  a 
royal  gift  to  another  — " 

"  And  the  settlers  of  his  province  think  less  of 
him  and  more  of  their  own  greatness  every  day." 

And  then  they  fell  silent,  for  one  was  my  lord 
of  Baltimore's  brother  and  the  other  was  his 
cousin,  and  my  Lord  Proprietor's  ambitions  so 
jumped  with  hers  she  could  have  no  words 
against  them. 


II 


OUTSIDE,  back  of  the  house,  where  were 
dairy     and     outbuildings,    the     lowing 
cattle  were  being  milked,  and  Mistress 
Hawley  —  skirts    pinned   above   her   trim    ankles 
and  sleeves  rolled  from  her  shapely  arms  —  was 
hurrying  busily. 

The  richest  of  cheeses  must  be  chosen  from 
the  cool  shelf  above  the  rippling  stream  which 
gushed  from  the  bank  and  went  flowing  through 
the  dairy  house.  This  sparkling  spring  had  made 
Mistress  Hawley  content  to  dwell  so  far  apart, 
for  the  houses  on  the  Point  must  all  be  dependent 
for  their  water  upon  the  great,  cool  spring  near 
the  big  mulberry.  The  richest  of  cheeses  must 
be  chosen,  the  thickest  of  sweet  cream  must  be 
skimmed  and  mixed  with  cool  milk,  should  the 
governor  choose  to  drink  for  his  supper.  For 
Mistress  Hawley's  was  a  woman's  household,  and 
there  was  lack  of  wine  and  ale.  Perchance  sad 
years  had  taught  her  to  abhor  them ;  perchance 
a  constant  memory  of  that  gay  youth  who  won 
her  heart  and  then  let  his  fortunes  ebb  from  him 


22  MISTRESS   BRENT 

in  the  rounds  of  pleasure  till  he  was  well  nigh 
ruined  and  was  glad  to  recoup  himself  in  the 
venture  then  fitting  from  London,  or  remember- 
ing the  hopes  she  had  fostered  as  she  prepared 
to  accompany  him,  —  hopes  founded  on  her 
husband's  long  friendship  with  Lord  Baltimore, 
and  on  thinking  on  the  many  chances  the  new 
life  in  the  colony  might  bring,  —  and  then  her 
awakening,  as  she  saw  him,  shattered  in  health, 
worn  with  the  voyage,  unable  to  cope  with  new 
difficulties,  failing  because  his  powers  were  sapped 
when  so  much  might  have  been  his  and  hers. 
Then  the  last  sad  scene  of  his  death,  when  he  had 
counselled  her  to  return  to  the  old  land. 

But  Mistress  Hawley  had  chosen  to  remain. 
House  and  lot,  corn-land  and  tobacco  fields,  out- 
side the  town  were  secured  to  her;  the  indenture 
of  her  servants  was  not  yet  past;  when  it  was 
she  might  transport  others.  This,  or  a  helpless 
dependence  in  a  brother's  household,  already 
filled.  She  chose  this,  and  went  about  her  daily 
living  content;  even  if,  as  she  had  preached  to 
Mistress  Brent,  life  seemed  naked  and  bare,  there 
were  swelling  buds  of  hope  somewhere  in  her 
heart.  Enough  to  make  the  upward  curve  of 
the  mouth  more  gracious  and  the  deep  light  of 
her  eyes  more  placid  as  she  busied  about  her 
housekeeping,  or  as  she  sat  at  the  supper  board 


MISTRESS   BRENT  23 

with  the  governor  and  Mistress  Brent  and  Mis- 
tress Mary. 

"  Faith,"  the  governor  declared  to  himself, 
"'twould  be  hard  to  search  England  over  and 
find  a  fairer  trio !  "  Mistress  Hawley  was  blos- 
soming out  in  her  new  life  with  woman-folk 
society,  and  Mistress  Mary  was  fair  and  full  of 
womanish  graces,  and  Mistress  Margaret !  He 
thought  on  how  many  times  he  had  puzzled  over 
his  new-found  cousin  since  she  had  landed  in 
his  settlement.  He  could  remember  her  but  as 
a  wild  tomboy,  over  whom  no  restraint  mattered. 
He  saw  her  first,  that  day  of  her  coming,  worn 
and  haggard ;  to-night  she  was  witchery  from 
her  curling  dark  hair  to  the  tip  of  her  dainty 
shoe,  and  the  governor  was  nearer  a  feeling  of 
content  with  his  lot  than  he  had  been  since  that 
moment  when  the  Indians  had  crowded  about 
them  on  a  strange  shore  and  he  had  waded 
through  shallow  waters  with  Father  White,  bear- 
ing his  wooden  cross,  beside  him,  and  knelt  on 
alien  soil  while  the  priest  planted  it  deep  in  the 
sod  of  Maryland. 

The  gay  mood  in  which  they  had  fallen  lasted 
until  Giles  Brent,  formal  and  dandified,  joined 
them,  and  even  bent  him  to  their  humor. 

He  must  smoke  a  pipe  with  the  governor  from 
the  tobacco  jar  which  still  graced  the  chimney- 


24  MISTRESS   BRENT 

piece,  and  must  listen  while  Mary,  the  ribbon  of 
her  lute  slipped  about  her  neck,  sang  the  catch 
she  had  learned  in  London  ere  they  sailed. 

"  My  true  love  hath  my  heart,  and  I  have  his, 
By  just  exchange  one  for  another  given. 

I  hold  his  dear,  and  mine  he  cannot  miss, 
There  never  was  a  better  bargain  driven. 

My  true  love  hath  my  heart,  and  I  have  his. 

"His  heart  in  me  keeps  him  and  me  in  one, 

My  heart  in  him  his  thoughts  and  senses  guides  ; 

He  loves  my  heart,  for  once  it  was  his  own, 
I  cherish  his  because  it  in  me  bides ; 

My  true  love  hath  my  heart  and  I  have  his." 

Mistress  Margaret,  with  some  deep  insight  in  the 
moods  of  men,  knew  her  opportunity. 

"  What  is  there,  Cousin  Calvert,"  she  demanded, 
when  the  song  was  finished  and  the  smoke  wreaths 
floated  high  in  the  rafters  overhead,  —  "what  is 
there  to  prevent  our  taking  boat  and  sailing  up 
the  coast  in  this  fair  weather?  Our  brother  hath 
been  much  abroad,"  she  added,  carelessly,  "  and 
telleth  wondrous  tales  of  stream  and  meadow,  of 
great  forests  and  wide  rivers,  —  thou  wouldst  not 
have  us  mewed  up  thus?" 

Calvert  made  no  answer,  but  drummed  lightly 
with  his  finger-tips  upon  the  board  the  air  Mary 
softly  played. 

"Thou  sayest  the   Indian  is   scarce   ever  seen 


MISTRESS   BRENT  25 

hereabouts,  why  should  —  Truth,  my  lord  gover- 
nor," she  cried  petulantly,  "  I  had  heard  this  was 
the  land  of  freedom  !  Mayhap  it  is  — for  men." 

The  governor  laughed. 

"At  home,  perchance  thou  canst  recall,  there 
was  ever  room  enow  to  breathe.  Hast  forgot 
thy  rides  'cross  country,  cousin,  when  I  was  ever 
horsewoman  enough  to  ride  by  thy  side?  Here 
there  are  no  horses,  or  so  few  they  are  needed 
for  the  fields,  or  a  horse  being  got  one  must  not 
ride  afar ;  the  forest  lurks  with  danger,  and  when 
one  turns  to  the  waterway  —  " 

"Faith,  'twere  bad  if  that  were  closed.  What 
say  you,  Mistress  Hawley  ? "  Calvert  turned  to 
face  her  where  she  sat  quietly  by  the  fireside. 
"What  say  you  to  a  jaunt  upon  the  river?" 

Mistress  Hawley  laughed  her  laugh  of  low 
content.  "  'T  would  be  most  excellent,"  she 
declared,  a  sparkle  shining  in  the  depths  of  her 
brown  eyes,  "  and  a  providence  for  the  doldrums 
which  now  and  then  oppress  Mistress  Margaret." 

"  But  never  thyself,"  said  Margaret,  quickly. 

"  Nay,  I  have  not  time ;  't  is  fine  ladies  only, 
they  do  visit." 

"  Fine  !  lazy,  thou  meanest ;  and  whose  fault  is 
it,  I  ween,  that  I  bide  lazy  here  ? "  She  shot  a 
fine  glance  of  scorn  at  the  governor's  placid  face, 
but  he  was  impervious. 


26  MISTRESS    BRENT 

"  So  be  it,"  he  said  as  he  rose  to  his  feet. 
"Giles,  thou  wilt  be  one  of  us?" 

"  I  prithee  hold  me  excused,"  said  Giles,  stiffly; 
"  I  have  done  naught  but  sail  and  explore  since 
I  landed.  I  care  not  —  " 

"  Save  thy  manners,  Giles,"  broke  in  his  sister, 
sharply,  "  we  can  do  without  thee !  There  will 
be  Mistress  Hawley  and  Mary  and  I,  and  thou  —  " 
she  turned  to  Calvert. 

"  Une  compagnie  de  quatre  personnes,"  said  the 
governor,  lightly. 

"And  when  shall  we  go?"  demanded  Mistress 
Margaret,  flashing  her  most  bewildering  smile 
upon  her  cousin. 

"  Aye,"  cried  the  governor  as  if  in  sudden  re- 
membrance; "the  very  thing;  our  pinnace  hath 
but  returned  from  Jamestown  and  is  lying  at  the 
wharf  of  our  manor  of  St.  John's.  I  will  despatch 
a  messenger,  and  Captain  Rogers  will  be  here  ere 
the  morn." 

"  Captain  Rogers !  "  began  Mary,  but  the  half 
inaudible  exclamation  was  lost  in  Mistress  Haw- 
ley's  louder,  "  We  shall  be  gone  all  day,  there 
must  be  time  to  prepare.  My  larder  — "  She 
spoke  anxiously. 

"  Surely  I  may  be  spared  the  pleasure  of  think- 
ing for  this  slight  expedition,"  interrupted  the 
governor. 


MISTRESS    BRENT  47 

And  Mary's  thoughts  were  already  far  afield. 
"  Captain  Rogers  !  "  She  had  seen  him  but  a  few 
brief  moments  that  rainy,  blowy  day,  when,  spite 
of  the  biting  weather,  the  settlers  had  gathered 
upon  the  wharf  to  watch  the  whitening  sail  which 
was  the  first  to  come  to  them  with  news  of  home 
for  a  six-months.  By  the  wharfs  side  lay  a  pin- 
nace, her  men  aboard,  awaiting  the  breaking  of 
the  clouds  to  sail ;  and  when  Mary,  the  rain  beat- 
ing upon  her  hooded  head  and  lashing  her  cold 
cheek,  stood  shyly  apart  noting  her  brother's 
greeting,  some  one  had  come  to  her  and  called 
her  by  name  in  a  tone  that  trembled  for  very 
joy. 

"  Mistress  Mary  Brent !  " 

And  she  had  turned  to  see  him  standing  by 
her,  —  Henry  Rogers,  clothes  worn  and  frayed, 
but  the  man,  alert,  stalwart,  ruddy. 

"  Master  Rogers !  "  she  had  faltered. 

"Nay,  Captain"  he  had  corrected,  striving  to 
say  some  words  to  hide  his  joyousness.  "  Captain 
of  this  great  ship  lying  here ;  "  he  laughed  ner- 
vously and  pointed  to  the  pinnace. 

"Art  going  away?  "  faltered  the  new-comer. 

"  But  to  Jamestown.  I  shall  see  thee ;  thou 
wilt  not  forget  ?" 

The  look  from  Mary's  blue  eyes  was  fleeting, 
but  the  captain  was  content,  though  the  crowd 


28  MISTRESS   BRENT 

surged  about  them  and  they  had  no  further  word 
alone  before  he  sailed  that  day  for  Jamestown, 
being  sent  thither  by  the  governor  to  bring  the 
cattle  bought  by  my  Lord  Baltimore  out  of  Vir- 
ginia for  the  stocking  of  his  manor  of  St.  John's. 

Now,  Mary  sat  the  lute  upon  her  lap,  her  girlish 
figure  relaxed  in  her  mood  of  thoughtfulness,  her 
blue  eyes  seeing  visions  she  half  dared  to  look 
upon,  there  in  the  glowing  coals  —  to-morrow  ! 

To-morrow  was  all  that  April  and  the  sunshine 
and  the  fair  new  world  could  make  it. 

The  pinnace  lay  upon  the  water,  her  white  sails 
rising  in  the  ether  and  the  glimmer  of  them  shin- 
ing, shimmering  down  on  the  placid  mirror  of  the 
river  where  the  morning  mists  still  clung.  But 
the  governor  and  Mistress  Hawley  and  Mistress 
Brent  and  one  other  childish  figure  were  already 
aboard,  and  the  captain  would  away,  though  his 
sailors  must  bend  to  big,  sweeping  oars. 

"  T  was  idle  waiting  for  the  wind,"  he  had  de- 
clared. "  They  would  row  till  the  tide  turned  and 
the  breeze  sprang  up." 

And  the  mists  lifted  from  green  marsh  and  white 
beach  and  hung  their  blue  veil  of  haze  upon  the 
distant  woodlands,  and  the  great,  lazy  river  sighed 
along  the  sandy  shore  and  sent  one  soft  breath  of 
a  wave  rippling  toward  it,  and  then  rested  ;  then 
another  broke  in  sibilant  lispings,  and  another, 


MISTRESS   BRENT  29 

though  the  great  shining  river  was  yet  inert  and 
dreaming.  Then  the  gleaming  mirror  was  broken 
at  its  edges  as  if  some  unseen  force  were  shaking 
it  into  curves  that  moved  first  slowly,  then  fast; 
running,  running  to  the  land,  the  bosom  of  the 
river  rose  and  fell,  breaking  from  its  dreaming 
thraldom.  A  breadth  of  dark-blue  waves  ran 
across  it,  a  faint  breeze  chased  them,  played  with 
them,  and  then  grown  fiercer  tore  them  into  white- 
caps  ;  the  wind  flapped  in  the  sail,  the  sun  struck 
a  diamond  pathway  on  the  blue,  the  pinnace  keeled 
to  her  side  and  went  racing  through  water  that 
lashed  high  about  her  prow. 

"  Faith,  't  is  not  so  sorry  a  sight  as  when  I  first 
looked  upon  it,"  laughed  Mistress  Brent,  as  her 
sparkling  eyes  gazed  on  greening  shore  and  run- 
ning water,  and  she  would  have  the  governor  tell 
her  all  he  knew  of  the  land  about,  whence  came 
this  curving  creek,  what  savages  had  dwelt  hereon, 
had  grant  been  made  of  the  land  beyond  those 
bold  headlands;  but  when,  the  St.  Mary's  passed, 
the  pinnace  sailed  upwards  to  the  Patuxent,  and 
lurking  near  the  shore  she  saw  a  fair  field  from 
whence  the  woods  had  dropped  away,  which  rose 
in  high  clay  bluff  above  the  beach  and  then  sloped 
sidevvise  to  hold  a  pond  scarce  bordered  from  the 
river,  she  was  silent.  Nor  was  there  more  that  she 
could  find  to  say,  though  the  pinnace  tacked  back 


30  MISTRESS   BRENT 

and  forth  near  the  river's  mouth  until  the  governor 
called  it  was  time  to  make  a  landing. 

The  captain  was  well  content.  His  eyes  had 
been  searching  for  a  broad,  low  beach,  deep 
curved.  He  ran  the  pinnace  toward  it;  it  was  the 
one  spot  he  had  dreamed  of  many  a  day,  and  the 
one  thought  he  had  dreamed,  too,  came  as  nearly 
true  as  though  he  had  willed  it  with  the  power  of 
sorcery.  When  the  meal  on  the  beach  was  finished 
and  they  lingered  lazily,  he  had  chance. 

The  sailors  had  gathered  the  driftwood  and  made 
a  fire  that  smouldered  to  the  coals,  and  from 
the  beach,  bared  by  the  low  tide,  secured  many 
great  oysters ;  now,  the  governor  declared,  Mis- 
tress Brent  should  taste  an  Indian  feast,  and  he 
would  show  her  some  day  the  great  shell-banks 
where  they  came  yearly  from  far  inland  in  the 
autumn,  when  the  oysters  were  at  their  best,  for 
feasting. 

And  the  captain,  who  had  been  busied  all  the 
morning,  said  shyly  to  the  girlish  figure  by  him, 
"  There  are  other  shells  upon  the  beach  and  most 
curious;  dost  not  care  to  look  for  them?  There 
are  the  maninose ;  the  Indian  marks  them  by  a  blue 
spot  in  the  sand,  and  then  digging  down  finds 
them  in  a  shell  softer  than  the  oyster."  But  curi- 
ously enough  the  captain  as  they  strolled  away, 
if  he  sought  for  a  glimpse  of  blue  at  all,  sought 


MISTRESS   BRENT  31 

for  it  not  on  the  markings  of  the  sand,  but  where 
it  gleamed  beneath  the  fringed  lids  which  most 
perversely  veiled  it.  And  though  Mistress  Mary's 
eyes  were  turned  diligently  to  the  sand  at  her 
feet  they  saw  naught  save  that  all  the  world  was 
a  glorious  vision,  and  that  wind  and  wave  were 
weaving  a  low,  soft  song  which  beat  as  an  accom- 
paniment to  the  voice  in  her  ears,  though  the 
words  that  voice  spoke  were  sober  enough. 

"  In  the  fringe  of  the  pines,"  the  captain  was 
telling  her,  "there  were  wondrous  flowers;"  and 
he  bent  his  footsteps  thither. 

The  trees  grew  not  quite  to  the  shore,  and  in 
the  openings  where  wind  and  sun  peeped  through 
and  the  grass  had  not  yet  full  sway  the  ground 
was  strewn  with  pink  tilting  flowers,  swaying  to 
every  breath,  and  purple  blossomings,  and  white 
saxifrage  ;  and  thickest  of  all,  a  pale-blue  blossom, 
with  gleam  like  a  forget-me-not. 

"What  is  it?"  Mary  cried  with  rapture,  as  she 
stooped  to  gather  them ;  "  't  is  most  like  a  forget- 
me-not,  save  it  grows  on  a  single  stalk  and  the  eye 
is  yellow." 

"  Call  it  the  forget-me-not  of  our  land ;  thou 
seest  how  plenteous  it  grows  here,  'tis  like  our 
memories.  We  know  how  to  cherish  thoughts'; 
there  is  naught  to  teach  us  to  forget." 

Mary  bent  busily  above  the  flowers.     "  I  must 


32  MISTRESS   BRENT 

take  them  to  Margaret  and  Mistress  Hawley,"  she 
murmured. 

"  There  is  a  sweet  wild  flower  that  grows  'neath 
these  pines ;  the  first  day  my  careless  foot  crushed 
it  I  thought  of  thee.  Dost  remember  thy  flower- 
plot  and  how  they  ever  flourished  for  thee,  else  I 
had  not  thought  of  them,  't  was  only  that  I  knew," 
he  went  on  as  Mary  had  risen,  her  white  hands 
filled  with  the  delicate  blossoms,  — "  't  was  only 
that  I  knew  thy  love  —  aye,  here  it  is !  "  The 
stick  with  which  he  tossed  the  pine  needles  had 
uncovered  a  beauteous  growth  of  thick,  shining 
leaves,  that  clung  close  to  the  damp  soil  and 
sheltered  the  clusters  of  pink  starry  bloom. 

"  Ah,  't  is  sweet !  "  said  the  captain  as  he  knelt 
and  gathered  it,  "  and  pink  —  pink  as  thy  cheeks?  " 
he  smiled  mischievously  as  he  watched  the  pink 
there  deepen  to  red. 

Then  he  straightened  himself  suddenly.  "  Mis- 
tress Mary,"  he  queried,  "  what  think  you  of  the 
land  about?" 

"This  country — Maryland  —  "  faltered  Mary. 

"  God  forbid  !   this  on  which  you  stand?  " 

Mary  looked  up.  The  great  pines  under  which 
they  had  strayed  met  in  solemn  arches  overhead, 
and  through  their  sighing  tops  moaned  a  fitful 
wind ;  the  loud  washing  of  the  tide  mingled  with 
the  sound,  the  screaming  of  the  gulls  and  fish- 


MISTRESS   BRENT  33 

hawks.  Before  them  through  the  tree-trunks 
gleamed  the  river;  behind  them,  as  she  turned 
and  looked,  the  forest  gloomed  and  darkened, 
and  in  its  dusky  depths  loomed  some  wild  beast 
that  looked  at  them  shyly  and  then  went  crashing 
away. 

Mary  turned  a  white  stricken  face  for  answer. 
"  The  Indian  !  "  she  gasped. 

"  Nay,  sweetheart,  naught  but  a  deer."  The 
captain  was  laughing.  The  moment  he  had  longed 
for,  yet  scarce  dared  to  dream  of,  ever  since  that 
fateful  morning  when  he  had  known  her  dear  foot 
pressed  the  new  sward,  was  here  —  was  his. 

"  Dear  heart,  there  is  naught  to  fear !  yet  how  — 
dost  not  see  there  is  need  for  some  one  to  protect 
thee  — "  he  went  on  glibly;  "'tis  not  a  land  for 
lone  women,  faith !  the  men  give  them  not  time 
for  that;  there  are  too  many  empty  hearts  and 
would-be  homes." 

"  Mary,  this  land  —  look  about  thee  !  —  is  of 
my  grant.  I  did  intend  from  the  moment  the 
governor's  message  reached  me  last  night  to 
bring  thee  hither  and  say  the  words  I  longed 
to  say ;  thou  knowest  them  already,  thou  wast 
but  a  slender  lass  when  I  left  England,  yet — " 
Captain  Rogers  stopped  for  lack  of  words,  then 
went  on  quickly,  "thou  wilt  make  my  home  here 
in  the  wilderness?  Look  up,  sweetheart!  " 
3 


34  MISTRESS    BRENT 

And  at  that  look  the  captain  was  silent  and 
satisfied.  "  But  Margaret,  Mistress  Hawley,"  pro- 
tested Mary,  as  she  freed  herself  from  his  arms. 

"  This  moment  is  mine ! "  said  the  captain,  de- 
termined, "  sit  here !  "  There  was  a  fallen  tree- 
trunk  near  them,  but  the  dampness  of  the  spring 
rains  was  in  it;  he  unfolded  Mistress  Mary's  cloak 
he  carried  upon  his  arm  and  spread  it  for  her. 
The  scarlet  folds  made  bright  setting  for  her  slim 
figure,  and  her  fair  hair  shone  like  spun  gold  in 
the  sun  shining  straight  above  the  tree-tops,  and 
sending  level  lances  through  the  woodland. 

"Truth,  I  have  seen  many  strange  visitants  in 
these  forests,  and  yet  I  'd  swear  thou  art  the 
fairest  that  ever  graced  them.  Come !  hast  no 
word  for  me?  " 

But  Mary's  lips  were  shyly  mute,  and  her  lover 
must  read  the  tale  of  downcast  eyes  and  blushing 
cheek. 

"Wilt  always  be  so  shy?  listen!  thou  knowest 
in  truth  wooings  are  not  long  in  our  settlement." 

The  hand  he  held  trembled  slightly. 

"  Life  is  so  full,  there  is  no  time  for  all  the 
gallant  speeches  and  stately  visits  thou  must  think 
on.  Nor  is  there  time  for  philandering  with  light 
o'  loves.  Here  is  work  for  hand  and  brain.  Here 
is  land  to  be  cleared  and  houses  reared.  Shall  I 
take  my  men  from  the  pinnace  as  carpenters? 


MISTRESS    BRENT  35 

Dost  not  think  a  house  there  where  the  land  rises, 
would  look  wondrous  fair?  There,  before  our 
door,  would  be  that  curving  beach  where  the 
river  flows  so  deep  't  would  harbor  a  hundred 
ships.  I  know  it  well.  I  Ve  sailed  it  oft,  and 
lingered  in  these  woods,  when  I  dared  not  hope 
that  one  I  loved  would  ever  share  this  wild  life, 
yet  —  now  —  I  shall  speak  to  thy  brother  this 
night." 

Amongst  the  things  he  had  dreamed  of,  Captain 
Rogers  had  dreamed  never  of  gift  for  such  hot 
wooing.  Truly  this  life  of  venture  had  rendered 
faint  and  blurred  the  memory  of  an  English  maid 
well  nigh  too  young  for  loving  when  he  sailed 
from  England  on  the  "  Dove ;  "  but  when  he  saw 
her  on  that  morn,  her  sweet,  shy  face  wet  with  rain, 
he  could  think  of  naught  but  an  English  blossom, 
dew-besparkled,  such  as  she  herself  had  once 
plucked  him ;  and  the  memory  bided  with  him 
as  he  sailed  on  that  troublous  trip  to  James- 
town and  fought  the  many  excuses  the  Virginians 
made  for  not  furnishing  his  lordship  with  cattle, 
for  there  was  little  friendship  felt  by  the  Virginians 
for  the  new  settlement,  and  they  showed  little  will 
to  aid  them  prosper,  even  to  the  selling  of  their 
stock  to  them. 

But  my  Lord  Baltimore  was  pertinacious.  The 
manor  of  St.  John's  was  his  show  farm.  Goats 


36  MISTRESS    BRENT 

and  hogs,  cattle  and  horses,  elks,  could  they  be 
found,  must  be  bred  upon  it  and  boasted  of  in 
England;  and  they  lacked  sheep  for  the  breed- 
ing. Sixty  ewes  had  been  promised  from  the 
new  secretary  of  the  Virginia  Colony,  and  Captain 
Rogers  must  go  fetch  them  and  fight  excuses  and 
hold  them  to  the  point  until  the  bleating  sheep 
were  aboard  the  pinnace.  "  A  damned  cargo 
for  the  vessel ! "  Rogers  swore,  and  landed  at 
St.  John's. 

Through  the  days  the  memory  of  a  face  had 
grown  and  grown,  and  the  thought  of  his  acres, 
aye,  even  of  the  advancement  it  would  mean  were 
the  governor's  cousin  his  bride,  had  filled  all  his 
mind.  He  would  lose  no  time  upon  his  wooing; 
there  were  other  bachelors  within  the  settlement, 
and  many  of  them. 

Now,  there  had  been  no  time  in  all  his  life,  and 
Captain  Rogers's  humor  was  somewhat  complacent, 
when  the  present  so  satisfied  him  and  the  future 
shone  so  bright. 

But  the  sister  and  brother  were  astounded. 
Giles,  when  the  governor  had  had  word  of  him 
and  pointed  out  that  the  captain  was  a  worthy 
suitor,  had  naught  of  protest,  but  Margaret  —  it 
sent  all  her  plans  asunder. 

She  and  Mary,  so  the  venture  had  been 
planned,  should  take  up  land  jointly  and  keep 


MISTRESS   BRENT  37 

their  household,  leaving  Giles  to  his ;  such  they 
had  intended,  at  least  she  had.  Now  — 

Mary  had  ever  been  acquiescent,  when  she 
spoke,  with  few  words ;  but  she  was  used  to  this 
from  her  younger  sister.  Was  this  the  cause  why 
she  was  so  eager  to  accompany  them?  When 
their  cousin  of  Baltimore  would  have  persuaded 
them  it  was  best  to  let  their  brother  venture  first, 
and  they  could  join  him  there,  and  her  eager  scorn 
of  England  and  the  life  which  had  befallen  her 
had  driven  her  into  rebellion  against  such  plan- 
nings,  was  it  some  other  hope  had  made  her  sister 
champion  her?  She  had  thought  it  only  sister- 
hood. 

There  was  no  more  to  say  to  the  governor  of 
her  plans.  It  was  Mary  who  was  bright,  vivacious, 
betwixt  the  teasing  of  her  mankind  and  the  wooing 
of  her  lover,  and  Mistress  Hawley  and  Giles  and 
Calvert  who  had  much  to  say,  to  suggest,  and 
laugh  over;  and  it  was  Mistress  Margaret  who 
was  quiet  and  distraught,  and  who  was  wakeful 
long  after  the  others  slept. 

She  stole  from  the  bed,  that  night  when  the 
sail  was  done,  where  Mary  dreamed  her  happy 
dreams,  and  went  to  the  shuttered  window  in  the 
attic  where  the  sisters  slept  and  threw  it  wide  to 
the  night;  the  smell  of  the  salt  and  of  the  green- 
ing grass  came  to  her,  with  the  singing  of  the 


38  MISTRESS   BRENT 

wind  through  bare  branches  and  the  rippling  of 
the  tide  along  the  shore. 

Near  her  in  the  scattered  houses  of  the  settle- 
ment the  Marylanders  slept.  Where  was  the 
grandeur  she  had  dreamed  on,  the  stately  house 
she  would  rear,  the  title  she  perchance  might 
bear,  the  power  she  would  wield?  At  the  very 
first  it  had  crumbled  from  her. 

Would  she  dare,  even  wilful  as  she  was,  to  brave 
such  life  alone? 

She  moved  restlessly  against  the  window-sill, 
and  her  arm  jostled  something  upon  the  mantel- 
shelf by  her  side.  It  was  the  hollow  gourd  Mary 
had  filled  with  her  sweet  pink  flowers ;  and  with 
the  breath  of  their  perfume  came  a  sickening 
thought :  was  Mary  right  and  she  and  all  her 
ambitions  wrong?  for  already  she  had  played  and 
lost,  and  Mary  —  Mary  had  found  the  flowers. 


Ill 


AN  she  had  fallen  on  sad  thoughts,  it  was 
time,  indeed,  for  the  growing  of  them. 
As  if  repentant  of  her  gayer  mood, 
the  New  World  veiled  its  skies  in  gray  that  low- 
ered and  broke  into  fitful  showers  and  gathered 
into  thick  mists  or  spiteful  down-pour. 

"Does  it  do  naught  but  rain  here?"  queried 
Mistress  Margaret  impatiently,  as  she  sought  Mis- 
tress Hawley  in  the  kitchen.  Up  in  the  attic  bed- 
chamber Mary  knelt  before  half-emptied  chests 
and  looked  on  gleaming  array  of  silk  and  velvet 
and  all  the  gowns  which  had  been  procured  for 
her  in  London.  They  had  thought  not  then  of 
purchasing  bridal  array,  but  only  that  they  needed 
such  plenishing  while  there  was  yet  time. 

"Where  is  Mistress  Mary?"  questioned  her 
hostess. 

"Faith,  she  hath  a  wedding  outfit  and  the 
plenishing  of  a  house  and  the  thinking  on  a 
lover's  words  to  fill  her  mind." 

"Enow,  I  trow;  yet  I  doubt  me  she  will  do 
much  on  the  planning  of  her  house."  The  curve 


40  MISTRESS    BRENT 

of  Mistress  Hawley's  red  lip  spread  upwards. 
She  had  been  Captain  Rogers's  neighbor  four 
years.  She  thought  not  he  would  bend  his  way 
to  any  woman's. 

"  He  is  the  fairy  lord  for  Mary,"  said  Margaret, 
somewhat  bitterly;  "he  will  do  all  the  real  think- 
ing and  leave  her  to  her  holiday  tricks  of  'broidery 
and  prinking." 

"  So  she  be  a  good  housewife,  too ;  't  is  all 
that  any  man  hopes  for  —  nay,  wishes"  Mistress 
Hawley  spoke  scornfully,  for  she  thought  on  the 
many  times  her  own  clear-headed  counsel  had 
been  set  aside. 

But  her  discontent  was  for  a  moment.  "  And 
as  for  housewifery,  she  hath  already  begun  to 
question  me." 

"  Come  talk  to  me !  "  demanded  Mistress  Brent. 
"  Leave  Sarah  to  tend  to  that,"  she  turned  to  her 
own  serving-woman  who  gossiped  with  Mistress 
Hawley's  cook.  "  Sarah  hath  not  forgot  to  stir 
a  pudding.  See  thou  dost  thy  best,"  she  com- 
manded the  stout,  rosy  woman,  "  else  will  Mistress 
Hawley  not  pardon  me  for  breaking  in  upon  her 
tasks." 

"  Talk  of  this  troublous  wedding  an  thou  wilt," 
she  added,  as  they  came  into  the  living-room  and 
Mistress  Brent  threw  herself  into  a  low  chair  by 
the  fire  and  began  to  poke  the  smouldering  logs. 


MISTRESS    BRENT  41 

"  Chris,  the  fire  will  not  burn  brightly,"  she  com- 
plained, "  the  rain  through  the  chimney  damps 
the  logs." 

"  But,  faith,  Margaret,"  —  the  two  women  had 
grown  into  much  friendliness,  —  "  thou  shouldst 
have  much  work,  then  thou  wouldst  know  the  value 
of  a  restful  moment,  as  now."  Mistress  Hawley 
leaned  back  in  her  great  chair,  but  Margaret 
moved  restlessly;  she  had  touched  her  on  the 
raw  unwittingly.  "  'T  is  the  first  wedding  save  of 
serving  men  and  maids  in  the  colony  and  must 
be  well  looked  to.  The  wedding  must  be  in  the 
chapel,  and  Father  White  must  be  sent  for." 

"  Where  is  he  now?  "  queried  Margaret,  quickly. 

"  He  tarrieth  with  the  Indians  far  up  the  Poto- 
mac, where  he  hath  made  many  converts." 

"  But  the  wedding  feast,"  continued  Mistress 
Hawley,  musingly ;  "  would  our  housing  were  large 
enough !  There  is  but  one  place  fitting  in  the 
colony, — the  manor-house  of  St.  John's." 

"  St.  John's !  why  is  it  the  governor  ever  turns 
the  talk  when  we  speak  of  it?  " 

"  It  hath  memories  for  him,"  said  Mistress  Haw- 
ley shortly,  as  if  she  too  would  have  none  of  the 
topic. 

"  And  what  are  they?  Nay,  look  not  so  dis- 
dainful of  my  curiosity;  here  I  bide,  the  rain 
pouring  without.  Listen  !  "  as  a  sharp  gust  blew 


42  MISTRESS    BRENT 

the  lashing  of  it  against  the  window,  "  here  I 
bide,  a  ne'er-do-well,  turned  out  thy  kitchen  long 
ago,  and  Mary  —  why  should  not  the  governor 
wish  his  wedding  feasting  at  St.  John's?" 

"  He  doth  want  it;  he  hath  already  spoken  of  it." 

"Then  why  should  he  look  so  lordly  whene'er 
I  hint  on  visiting  the  manor?" 

Mistress  Hawley  found  she  was  to  listen  to 
questionings  which  were  not  lightly  to  be  evaded. 

"  The  governor  hath  had  many  vexing  matters," 
she  began. 

"  So  he  told  me  at  the  first." 

"  Aye,  but  not  these,  I  '11  warrant  me  !  " 

"Then,  what?" 

"  Did  my  Lord  Baltimore  speak  to  thee  of  the 
Kentish  quarrel?" 

"  Somewhat,  though  I  listened  but  idly  !  " 

"  Then  thou  must  know  that  before  the  grant 
of  Maryland  was  made  to  my  Lord  of  Baltimore, 
the  isle  of  Kent  far  up  the  bay  had  already  been 
settled  by  venturers  from  Virginia  under  the 
leadership  of  William  Claiborne." 

"What  right  did  he  claim?"  asked  Mistress 
Margaret,  quickly. 

"Right  enow;  he  did  hold  a  patent  from 
the  king  to  trade  in  these  waters  and  make 
settlements." 

Mistress  Brent  was  silent. 


MISTRESS    BRENT  43 

"  My  Lord  of  Baltimore's  grant  covered  his 
patent,"  continued  Mistress  Hawley.  "  When  the 
governor  opened  the  sealed  instructions  brought 
out  from  England,  amongst  the  first  was  that  a 
notice  should  be  sent  of  the  grant  and  settlement 
to  Jamestown,  and  another  to  Kent  Isle,  claiming 
jurisdiction." 

"  How  did  they  receive  it?  " 

"  At  Jamestown  civilly  enough,  though  there 
was  no  great  good-will  to  us." 

"  But  the  island  settlement?" 

"  Would  have  none  of  us.  They  claimed  their 
patent  and  declared  their  independence,  and  that 
they  should  proceed  as  heretofore  to  trade  with 
the  Indians." 

"And  my  cousin  Calvert?" 

"  Was  content  to  refer  the  matter  to  his  brother. 
But  there  were  others  amongst  us  more  hot- 
headed, and  the  governor — mayhap  he  is  some- 
what too  easily  led.  When  it  was  known  that 
their  trading  pinnace  had  proceeded  up  the  Po- 
tomac, and  that  the  Indians  were  bringing  down 
their  store  of  beaver,  there  were  some  here  who 
had  come  thither  for  that  very  trade,  and  the  In- 
dians were  already  friendly  with  Claiborne's  men ; 
they  knew  where  to  look  for  them,  and  saved  their 
furs." 

Mrs.  Hawley,  fully  launched  in  her  story,  spoke 


44  MISTRESS   BRENT 

clearly  and  forcibly  what  her  logical  mind  and 
common  sense  had  shown  her  of  the  events  pass- 
ing before  her  eyes. 

"  The  news  of  it  roused  wrath  here ;  they  per- 
suaded the  governor  to  send  soldiers  up  the  river 
and  capture  the  traders  and  the  pinnace.  They 
did  so  without  bloodshed ;  the  leaders,  a  young 
man,  strong  and  handsome,  and  another  older  and 
bluffer,  were  brought  here  for  trial.  Their  boat 
and  the  goods  they  had  carried  for  the  trade  and 
the  furs  they  had  gotten  were  confiscated,  and  the 
men  were  set  free." 

"  And  then?" 

"Claiborne  was  furious  when  he  heard  it,  and 
fitted  out  a  vessel  with  guns  to  fight  the  ships  of 
St.  Mary's  wherever  found." 

"And  this  hath  occurred  here?  Truly  there 
is  little  talk  of  it  in  England." 

"  England  hath  other  and  greater  affairs  of  her 
own  on  hand  an  I  mistake  not.  But  the  vessel 
from  Kent  and  one  from  St.  Mary's  did  meet  in 
some  far-off  stream  on  the  other  side  this  wide  bay 
of  Chesapeake,  and  fought ;  two  men  were  killed." 

"  Killed  !  " 

"  One  was  William  Ashmore ;  his  brother  still 
bideth  in  the  town." 

"  But  this  hath  naught  to  do  with  St.  John's  !  " 

"  I   cannot  tell  thee  all  the  tangle,"   said   Mis- 


MISTRESS   BRENT  45 

tress  Hawley  somewhat  uneasily ;  there  were  some 
things  she  could  surmise  but  dared  not  put  in 
words.  "  But  the  trouble  continued.  Claiborne 
went  to  London  to  petition  the  king;  my  Lord  of 
Baltimore  was  there  also,  and  then  the  governor 
would  fain  have  had  the  matter  settled,  as  it 
should  have  been,  but  there  were  others  again ; 
they  stirred  the  people  up.  Naught  would  serve 
but  they  must  fit  out  an  expedition,  invade  the 
island,  and  assert  their  authority.  There  are  sol- 
diers amongst  us  to  whom  battle  is  the  breath 
of  life ;  and  so  once  more  the  governor  yielded. 
He  headed  the  expedition.  They  were  success- 
ful. They  returned  with  no  loss,  but  bringing  two 
prisoners  and  much  plunder.  God  wot  if  the 
people  are  as  poor  in  household  stuff  as  we  be, 
it  must  have  stripped  them  sorely  indeed." 

"And  the  prisoners?" 

"  Were  the  captain  who  commanded  the  Kentish 
vessel  when  Ashmore  was  killed,  and  one  other." 

"What?" 

"Do  not  ask  me  the  harrowing  tale.  That 
winter  had  been  sent  hither  from  my  Lord  Pro- 
prietor a  great  body  of  laws  by  which  the  colonists 
needs  must  govern  themselves,  and  there  had  been 
hot  words  and  wrangling  about  them.  The  gov- 
ernor, Calvert,  who  stands  betwixt  the  settlers 
and  his  brother,  could  do  naught  with  them. 


46  MISTRESS   BRENT 

They  would  have  no  code  forced  upon  them 
wholesale,  not  they;  and  God  knows  I  trow 
they  were  in  the  right.  Men  who  have  strength 
and  wisdom  to  do  battle  with  the  raw  New  World 
are  men  who  know  their  needs  better  than  my 
Lord  who  sits  at  home." 

Here  Mistress  Hawley  caught  herself,  remem- 
bering to  whom  she  was  talking. 

"  T  is  their  right,  their  inalienable  right,  to  have 
a  voice  in  their  own  law-making,  and  such  they 
declared.  They  framed  their  laws ;  they  were 
adopted.  Then  here  comes  this  prisoner.  They 
must  try  their  new  powers,  and  truly  there  were 
other  and  wicked  influences  at  work  I  cannot  tell 
thee  of.  They  brought  the  prisoners  to  trial :  one 
swore  allegiance  to  Baltimore;  the  other — nay, 
I  should  have  told  you  the  settlers  from  all  the 
distant  plantations  so  thronged  into  the  town,  the 
fort  where  the  Assembly  meetings  had  been  held 
was  not  large  enough  to  hold  them,  and  the  gov- 
ernor convened  their  meetings  at  St.  John's.  The 
other,  they  hanged  him  there,  according  to  their 
new  laws  —  the  death  of  a  traitor,  though  to 
what?  He  was  well  favored  and  courtly,  with 
a  face  strong  and  sweet  and  sad.  I  saw  him  twice, 
when  they  brought  him  from  Kent  and  when  they 
took  him  to  St.  John's  for  trial,  that  day.  He 
had  powerful  relatives  in  the  colony  of  Virginia, 


MISTRESS    BRENT  47 

and  it  well  nigh  occasioned  war  against  us.  Had 
not  the  king  so  well  known  the  disaffection  of 
the  Virginians  and  warned  the  governor  against 
overt  acts,  I  know  not  what  might  have  been." 

Mistress  Hawley  rose  from  her  chair  and  walked 
restlessly  to  the  small  latticed  window,  where  the 
rain  still  beat  on  narrow  yard  and  green  lane  and 
the  houses  beyond,  but  she  saw  it  not.  She  saw 
instead  the  face  of  the  man  who  had  so  strongly 
moved  her  pity,  the  face,  as  she  had  told  of  it, 
strong  and  sweet  and  sad.  She  knew  naught  of 
his  history,  and  yet  she  knew  there  was  naught 
in  it  to  give  him  shame,  that  last  day.  And 
they  had  done  him  to  death. 

It  was  a  stain  on  the  page  of  their  history,  a 
stain  which  many  already  repented  and  the  gov- 
ernor had  done  all  he  could  to  prevent. 

As  for  Mistress  Margaret,  she  sat  gazing  in  the 
smouldering  fire.  She  had  asked  for  a  story,  an 
idle  gossip,  and  she  had  gotten  it. 

These  were  some  of  the  governor's  troublous 
questions.  She  thought  of  them  and  the  views  she 
had  heard  fresh  from  my  Lord  of  Baltimore's  lips. 

Truly  there  was  cause  for  that  preoccupied 
look,  that  gravity,  that  sometimes  came  upon 
him ;  and  truly  there  were  troublous  questions 
on  this  side  the  water  likewise  —  likewise! 


IV 


MISTRESS  BRENT  thought  on  these 
matters  many  a  day.  She  was  far 
more  quiet  than  her  wont,  and  willing 
to  yield  to  Mary's  guidance  in  her  plenishings  and 
to  Mistress  Hawley's  in  her  housewifery,  though 
of  the  bridal  fixings  she  was  soon  wearied. 

"  Faith,  Mary,"  she  declared,  "  Sarah  is  a  most 
excellent  tirewoman  and  a  seamstress  withal ;  thou 
shalt  have  her  and  I  will  tend  myself.  She  can 
understand  thy  talk  of  ruff  and  farthingale  and 
slashings  far  more  than  I.  Not  but  what  I  like  to 
go  well  clad ;  "  she  rose  to  her  feet  and  looked 
down  at  the  gleaming  length  of  her  skirt  as  she 
did  so,  the  dainty  fashioning  of  her  sleeve  and 
bodice,  and  turned  her  white  neck  in  the  ruff  of 
fine  starched  lace  to  gaze  upon  it  complacently. 

"  But  thou  knowest  I  ever  did  hate  the  talk 
and  planning !  I  could  ne'er  sit  the  day  through 
admiring  my  bodice." 

She  turned  impatiently  from  Mary  where  she 
sat,  a  waist  of  blue  damask  on  her  knee  for  which 


MISTRESS    BRENT  49 

she  was  fashioning  such  a  collar  and  slashings  and 
ruching  of  lace  as  she  had  seen  the  beauteous  lady 
of  Baltimore  wear. 

"It  will  become  thee  rarely,  sweet;  the  blue  is 
as  blue  as  thine  eyes,  and  thy  cheek  will  shine 
clear  as  a  rose  leaf;  though  I  like  not  the  habit 
thou  hast  of  wearing  thy  mask  o'  nights;  'twill 
make  thy  face  too  deadly  white,  and  pallor  be- 
comes not  a  bride,  not  such  a  happy  bride  as  thou 
—  but  blushes  —  then  —  " 

She  laughed  at  the  sudden  red  of  her  sister's 
vexed  face.  "  I  will  send  a  better  in  my  place," 
and  she  went  her  way  to  the  kitchen. 

She  knew  well  where  to  find  her  serving-maid. 
When  not  busied  about  her  own  tasks  Sarah's 
round  and  ruddy  face  and  blue  eyes  big  with 
thought  of  the  astounding  tales  of  savages  and 
adventures  which  Mistress  Hawley's  cook  poured 
ever  into  her  willing  ear,  was  to  be  found  some- 
where near  her,  helping  a  little,  perchance,  but  for 
the  most  part  lost  in  solemn  wonder. 

That  ever  her  mistress  should  have  come 
thither;  that  ever  she  should  have  seen  her  so 
rudely  housed  and  roughly  waited  on  ;  that  a  cabin 
scarce  fit  for  a  farm  should  shelter  her,  and  a  cabin 
of  logs;  that  she  should  tread  rough  puncheon 
floors  and  trail  her  garments  over  rush-strewn 
floors  instead  of  gleaming  boards  and  squares  of 
4 


5° 


MISTRESS   BRENT 


carpet,  where  there  were  none  of  quality  to  wait 
upon  her ! 

True,  Mistress  Mary  had  already  found  a  hand- 
some lover,  but  Mistress  Margaret  — 

They  did  say  a  maid  went  not  long  unwed  in 
this  rough  country,  and  her  mistress  !  There  was 
not  such  another  in  Maryland,  not  in  Virginia,  not 
in  the  whole  New  World.  She  knew  it  well,  and 
had  she  not  heard  the  talk?  did  she  not  see  the 
lingering  glances  which  followed  her  slender  figure 
down  the  street,  the  envious  look  of  women-kind 
at  bright  gowns  and  dainty  slippers?  for  Mistress 
Brent  had  bought  enough  of  them  in  London, 
God  wot,  and  wore  them  as  carelessly  as  if  mer- 
cer and  haberdasher  were  round  the  corner  of  the 
green  lane  of  Mattaponi  Street  instead  of  mill  and 
chapel,  and  houses  small  and  rude. 

Well,  it  was  her  mistress's  own  affair.  Mean- 
while she  listened  now  as  the  cook,  glad  indeed 
of  so  eager  a  listener,  told  again  how  they  had 
sighted  the  shores  of  their  new  land ;  told  how 
the  women,  eager  to  set  foot  on  firm  ground,  had 
been  sent  ashore  in  a  small  boat  with  a  great  bun- 
dle of  linen  to  wash  and  cleanse  in  sweet  spring 
water,  should  such  be  found,  and  how  the  boat 
was  upset  near  shore  and  they  had  barely  escaped 
with  their  lives,  all  the  linen  wearing-apparel 
being  lost ;  of  how  they  had  gone  farther  in,  and 


MISTRESS   BRENT  51 

the  river  banks  were  lighted  with  vast  fires  that 
night  which  had  sorely  affrighted  them ;  of  the 
savages  thronging  the  shores,  the  one  white  man 
with  them ;  of  their  friendliness ;  how  they  had 
been  guided  to  the  Indian  village  and  the  wig- 
wams which  had  stood  where  the  houses  of  St. 
Mary's  were  now  built.  The  chieftain's  was  hard 
by  the  spring,  and  the  Indians  had  gathered  to- 
gether in  some  of  their  dwellings  and  left  the 
others  to  the  new-comers.  The  chief  had  given 
his  to  Mistress  Hawley,  for  she  was  the  fairest 
woman  in  the  "  Ark "  or  the  "  Dove,"  and  the 
woman  glanced  jealously  at  Sarah.  Mistress  Haw- 
ley  had  held  her  place  unquestioned  till  now.  Of 
queer  Indian  customs  she  told ;  of  how  many,  ere 
the  summer  was  well  gone,  had  slipped  away  to 
forest  or  hunting-grounds,  leaving  their  homes  for- 
ever, while  others  had  stayed  to  show  the  settlers 
how  to  till  the  fields  already  cleared  and  yielding 
bounteously;  had  taught  them,  too,  to  make 
strange  dishes  of  the  pounded  maize.  And  upon 
this  gossiping,  whilst  the  cook  held  a  mortar  well 
filled  with  corn  betwixt  her  knees  and  pounded 
lustily,  came  Mistress  Margaret. 

"  Sarah,"  she  called  lightly,  "  here  is  work  for 
thy  idleness !  My  sister  finds  me  not  so  good  a 
seamstress.  Get  thee  to  her  and  hearken  dili- 
gently to  her  talk.  Faith  !  she  knows  to  a  nicety 


52  MISTRESS    BRENT 

just  how  she  'd  have  each  trifle,  but  as  for 
me  —  " 

"  What  of  thy  own  gown?  "  asked  her  maid,  who 
was  half  angered  that  in  all  this  talk  of  clothes 
which  had  been  about  her  ears  there  had  been  no 
mention  of  her  mistress. 

"  This  is  well  enow !  "  said  Mistress  Margaret 
lightly,  as  she  held  her  gown  from  the  sanded 
floor. 

"  That !  "  screamed  Sarah. 

"  This  !  "  declared  Mistress  Margaret  petulantly, 
an  angry  look  in  her  gray  eyes.  "  Didst  thou  not 
put  it  upon  me  this  morn?  What  ails  it?  Why 
was  it  not  fixed  ere  I  wore  it?  " 

"  I  am  thinking  o'  the  wedding,"  muttered  Sarah. 

"Then  why  not  speak  so?  That  peach-hued 
satin  I  wore  last  at  the  court  will  serve ;  the  petti- 
coat is  white,  and,  faith,  I'd  not  have  them  take 
me  for  the  bride !  I  '11  go  arrayed  in  colors." 

"  And  thou  wouldst  make  a  fair  bride,"  de- 
clared Sarah,  stoutly. 

"  Thinkest  thou  so?"  laughed  Mistress  Brent, 
though  her  bright  face  darkened ;  "  I  trow  I  can 
look  as  fair  as  maid ! " 

"  Aye,  but  —  " 

"Why  run  thy  thoughts  on  weddings?" 

"They  talk  of  them  enow  about  here;  there  is 
e'en  a  law  —  " 


MISTRESS   BRENT  53 

"  Law,  law !  what  knowest  thou  of  law?  'tis  the 
everlasting  prate!  Law  of  what?  That  every 
maid  should  marry?" 

"  So  I  have  heard,"  said  Sarah,  sullenly. 

"  Listen  !  "  Mistress  Brent  threw  back  her  head 
in  peal  after  peal  of  merry  laughter  that  reached 
Mistress  Hawley's  ear  as  she  busied  about  her 
dairy. 

"What  is  it,  Margaret?"  she  called  from  the 
low  door  where  she  stood,  her  skirts  kilted  about 
her  knees,  a  yellow  pannikin  of  milk  in  her  strong, 
shapely  hands. 

"  Sarah  hath  just  told  me  the  settlers  think  on 
yet  another  amendment  to  the  laws  they  have  been 
at  such  pains  to  prepare,"  called  Mistress  Brent. 

"  Aye,  and  what  cause  is  that  for  laughter?  " 

"  Thou  hast  not  heard  the  whole,  't  is  that  every 
maid  should  marry;  to  such  matters  have  they 
turned  their  wondrous  wisdom." 

"  Nay,  Sarah,  an  thou  art  thinking  on  it,"  she 
came  over  and  touched  the  stout  firm  arm  of  her 
faithful  waiting-maid,  —  "an  thou  art  thinking  on 
it,  mayhap  't  is  for  thyself."  She  laughed  wickedly 
at  the  purplish  red  which  flushed  Sarah's  full  face. 
"What  thoughts  art  thou  harboring  under  that 
gray  thatch  of  hair?  Nay,  go  thy  ways  to  Mistress 
Mary." 

She  stepped  from  the   rough  low  door  to  the 


54  MISTRESS    BRENT 

sunlit  path  to  the  dairy.  Peach  and  pear  and  apple 
and  plum  which  had  graced  the  chiefs  wigwam 
were  thick  set  in  bloom,  and  about  them  hummed 
and  buzzed  the  bees  from  Mistress  Hawley's  hives  ; 
above  the  bank-sheltered  spring  the  great  walnut 
unfolded  ;ts  late  pale-green  leaves ;  the  air  was 
heavy  with  salt  and  sweet  with  the  smell  of  fresh 
green  growth  and  bloom. 

The  peevish  look  died  from  Mistress  Margaret's 
face.  "Aye,  the  world  looks  different  here  !  "  she 
cried;  "in  Mary's  room  'tis  prison,  here  'tis  life. 
Why  art  thou  so  busied  ?  " 

The  wide  curves  of  Mistress  Hawley's  red  lips 
ran  upwards  and  her  brown  eyes  sparkled. 

"  I  am  making  ready  a  little  present  for  my  Lord 
Proprietor !  "  she  said,  demurely. 

"  Ah  !  "queried  Margaret,  consumed  with  sudden 
curiousness,  "  what  is  it?  " 

"  Here !  "  Mistress  Hawley  pointed  to  a  round 
low  basket,  Indian  woven  of  curious  grasses.  She 
lifted  a  layer  of  dried  grass.  "  There  are  cheeses, 
good  as  the  best  of  Devon,  I  'd  swear !  they  have 
been  ripening  a  twelvemonth  on  these  shelves; 
and  here  are  fruit,"  she  lifted  the  strings  of  dried 
peaches  and  apples  and  long  straws  thick  with 
cherries,  "  dried  from  my  own  trees  last  year. 
They  have  kept  rarely  and  look  as  fresh  as  when 
I  put  them  aside  for  some  such  purpose." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  55 

"  Though  I  know  not,"  she  added,  a  little  frown 
puckering  her  wide  white  forehead,  "how  they 
will  bear  the  sea  voyage,  an  it  be  long;  'tis  so 
uncertain." 

"  And  this  ?  "  questioned  Margaret  as  she  touched 
a  jar  close  covered. 

"'Tis  honey,  and  I  misdoubt  me  as  to  the  hand- 
ling, and  I  can  ill  spare  the  crock.  I  wonder  — 
and  yet  its  taste  is  so  rare  and  sweet,  feeding  as 
the  bees  do  on  many  and  strange  blossoms  — " 

"  Nay,  send  it,"  said  Margaret,  with  sudden 
fervor ;  "  and  let  me  tell  thee  this,  if  thou  hast  ever 
favor  to  ask,  remember  thy  basket." 

"  An  I  thought  that  —  "  began  Mistress  Hawley. 

"  'Twill  win  his  very  heart." 

"  Of  which  I  have  no  intent.  'T  was  but  I  wished 
to  show  him  something  of  our  housewifery." 

"  And  that  is  what  he  wishes  most  to  know, 
dost  thou  not  see,"  said  Margaret  impatiently,  for, 
truth,  patience  sat  ever  lightly  upon  her,  "  when 
he  can  offer  lands,  and  talk  of  fields  and  flocks  and 
orchards  and  dairies,  't  is  more  patent  than  aught 
else.  Thy  basket  is  a  gracious  offering  and  kindly 
thought  on." 

So  the  basket  went  away  on  the  "  Elizabeth,"  and 
the  letters  from  the  governor,  and  letters  from  Mis- 
tress Brent,  of  which  she  said  naught  to  any  one, 
but  held  her  way  till  Mary's  bridals  should  be  done. 


56  MISTRESS    BRENT 

The  days  sped  to  them  speedily,  days  of  stir 
and  bustle  and  gladness;  for  the  governor  was 
well  content  to  turn  his  thoughts  from  the  wrang- 
ling and  disappointment  of  the  winter  and  make  a 
holiday  for  his  cousin ;  and  the  women-folk  were 
glad  to  have  occasion  for  airing  of  the  gowns  they 
had  brought  from  England,  and  found  so  little 
time  for  donning,  and  to  gather  the  pink  clusters 
of  the  laurel  or  the  sweet-smelling  magnolias  of 
the  woods  for  decking  the  rude  altar. 

Father  White  came  back  from  his  mission  to 
the  Indians  far  up  the  Potomac  near  to  the  great 
falls,  and  the  day  was  such  a  one  as  the  settlement 
long  remembered. 

The  pomp  of  the  governor,  who  was  used  to 
going  but  carelessly  apparelled ;  the  glittering 
array  of  Giles  Brent;  the  splendor  of  Mistress 
Margaret  and  the  fairness  of  Mistress  Hawley ;  the 
beauty  of  the  bride ;  the  stalwart  pride  of  Captain 
Rogers;  the  solemn  hush  within  the  flower-decked 
chapel ;  the  gay  procession  to  St.  John's ;  the  feast- 
ing there,  —  the  tale  of  it  rivalled  all  others  for 
many  a  day.  Though  of  all  the  pleasure-bound 
crowd  the  governor,  least  of  all,  liked  this  last 

When  he  saw  the  settlers  throng  the  halls, 
settlers  come  from  river  or  creek  lands,  from 
homes  along  the  Potomac  or  bay  or  the  marshy 
shores  of  St.  George,  he  could  but  think  on  that 


MISTRESS    BRENT  57 

other  day  not  many  months  agone  when  these 
same  men  had  been  there  with  hard  faces  and 
stern  mien,  when  they  had  taken  matters  in  their 
own  hands  and  wrested  from  him  the  power  which 
he  considered  rightfully  his ;  and  when  he  was  in 
the  big,  wide  room  which  ran  the  length  of  the 
house  and  had  been  intended  for  just  such  pur- 
poses, the  assembling  of  all  the  people  together, 
he  saw  that  room  filled  with  angry  men,  and  a 
slender,  purposeful  figure  in  their  midst.  He  could 
fairly  hear  the  sighing  of  the  trees  on  the  headland, 
the  trees  beneath  which  they  had  hanged  him. 

But  the  strains  which  filled  the  room  were  gay 
and  lively.  There  was  music  of  fiddle  and  flute, 
and  the  governor  must  dance  a  measure  with  the 
bride.  Such  things  should  be  forgot.  And  as 
he  danced,  stately  and  slow  with  courtly  grace, 
thoughts  long  forgot  came  back  to  him.  He  was 
in  his  brother's  hall  of  Arundel,  the  house  was 
thronged  with  brilliant  guests,  the  dance  was  a 
thing  of  the  night,  and  on  the  morrow  would  be 
gay  hunting  or  merry  clash  of  bowls  within  the 
alley,  or  the  careless  lingering  by  beauty's  side. 
Life  was  merry  and  glad  and  sweet,  and  he  was  no 
longer  an  exile  in  a  rough  land,  a  patient  buttress 
'twixt  the  determined  men  who  had  sailed  with 
him  and  the  quick  humors  of  his  brother. 

There  were  no  gray  streaks  in  his  abundant  hair, 


58  MISTRESS    BRENT 

nor  lines  about  his  eyes.  And  the  slim  and  pal- 
pitating beauty  whose  finger-tips  touched  his — 
he  raised  his  eyes,  and  there  not  far  away  stood 
Mistress  Margaret.  The  sheath  of  satin  which 
enclosed  her  shone  like  the  sunset  hues  his  tired 
eyes  had  often  watched  upon  the  rippling  river  of 
St.  Mary's;  it  fell  in  billowing  folds  about  her 
feet ;  he  saw  the  sheen  of  her  skirt,  gold  glinted, 
the  laces  that  half  veiled  her  breast  and  rose  in 
stiff  guard  about  her  slender  throat,  the  wilful, 
curly  hair  high  coiled  and  stuck  through  with 
golden  daggers,  and  the  piquant  face,  cleared  of 
the  storms  he  had  sometimes  seen  upon  it,  flushed 
and  bright  and  laughter-loving. 

He  led  the  bride  to  her  waiting  bridegroom. 
"  Mistress  Margaret,  thou  wilt  tread  this  measure 
with  me?" 

"  My  feet  are  fair  itching,"  she  declared  ;  "  and 
not  a  cavalier  —  " 

"Nay,  thou  dost  them  scant  justice;  they  dare 
not  —  " 

"  Til  the  governor  and  the  bride  be  done." 

"  Scarce  then.  Nay,  fair  cousin,  thou  didst  see 
thy  mirror  when  thy  toilet  was  done ;  look  about 
thee  !  "  The  governor  half  sighed  at  the  compari- 
son his  words  called  forth.  The  women,  what  few 
there  were,  were  dressed  in  gowns  fashioned  half 
a  decade  gone,  and  were  browned  and  scorched 


MISTRESS    BRENT  59 

by  the  suns  of  Maryland,  with  marks  of  toil  and 
thoughtfulness  upon  them. 

"  They  are  birds  of  sober  plumage,  but  thou  art 
a  bird  of  paradise  !  " 

Mistress  Brent's  quick  eyes  flashed.  "  My  cousin 
grows  gallant,"  she  declared,  demurely. 

The  governor  started.  In  the  pause  after  his 
stately  dance  the  fiddler  was  playing  a  strain  half 
sweet,  half  sad,  and  wholly  winning. 

Mistress  Brent  drew  her  breath  quickly  as  she 
beat  her  foot  to  the  alluring  tune. 

"  Dost  know  the  dance?  "  he  queried. 

"  I,  too,  have  been  at  court,"  she  said,  a  mis- 
chievous smile  upon  her  lips. 

"Wilt  dance  it  with  me?" 

"  Will  the  governor  dare?" 

"  'T  is  the  man  who  asks  thee !  "  and  it  was  the 
man  who  slipped  his  arm  about  her  supple  waist 
and  in  the  eyes  of  the  astonished  people  circled 
slowly  about  the  room  as  the  music  sank  to 
plaintive  minor  or  rose  to  swelling  cadence. 

The  governor  had  been  a  rare  dancer  long  days 
agone,  ere  governorship  was  thought  on,  and  his 
easy  steps  were  not  forgot. 

"  I  had  not  such  a  dance,"  declared  Mistress 
Brent,  "  had  not  such  a  dance  in  London." 

"  Didst  think  thy  dancing  days  were  left 
behind?" 


60  MISTRESS   BRENT 

But  he  had  no  answer;  he  saw  only  the  dark 
fringe  of  her  lids,  her  smooth  cheek  and  curving 
mouth. 

"  Thou  hast  left  naught  behind,"  he  went  on, 
hotly,  "  naught !  There  is  all  one  longs  for  here, 
or  dreams  of,  an  he  dreams." 

Yet  it  was  the  first  moment  for  five  years  his 
own  heart  had  not  whispered  to  him  a  different 
tale. 


IT  was  the  governor's  humor  that  Captain 
Rogers  should  bide  his  honeymoon  at  St. 
John's. 

"Tis  a  well-favored  spot  for  such  lingering," 
he  had  urged  him ;  "  here  we  can  tarry,  many  of 
us,  for  a  day  or  more  and  then  go  our  ways,  leav- 
ing ye  to  yours.  The  household  is  ready  for 
visitants  alway;  such  is  my  brother's  wish,  for  he 
ever  urges  his  own  purpose  of  some  day  coming 
hither."  The  governor  paused  in  his  talk  as 
Captain  Rogers  pressed  his  thanks  upon  him. 

"  Aye,  man,  thou  hast  a  fair  bride,  sweet  and 
biddable;  when  such  joy  comes  in  a  man's  life, 
'tis  fitting  that  he  should  stop  apart  from  the 
ways  of  men  to  shrine  it  in  his  heart  and  use  it 
to  the  wearing." 

The  captain  looked  up,  astounded  at  the  gov- 
ernor's hot  words ;  even  the  eyes  of  the  bridegroom 
had  no  such  fire  as  flashed  in  his;  and  the  gov- 
ernor, feeling  the  look,  flushed  as  a  schoolboy 
might  have  done. 


62  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"Thou  hast  been  a  trader  and  adventurer  in 
our  colony,  Captain  Rogers,"  he  began,  speaking 
in  stately  fashion  to  hide  the  confusion  which 
beset  him ;  "  thou  must  now  turn  thy  thoughts  to 
clearing  lands  and  planting  tobacco  fields  and 
raising  of  stock.  Thou  shouldst  know  somewhat 
of  stock  handling,  though?"  he  queried,  a  twinkle 
of  amusement  in  his  eyes. 

"  Zounds !  an  I  did  not,  after  the  sheep  and 
hogs  I  brought  hither  from  Jamestown  — " 

"  Thou  canst  see  how  we  have  housed  them," 
began  Calvert,  eagerly,  "  and  how  they  prosper." 

But  Captain  Rogers  tired  of  all,  save,  forsooth, 
his  bride,  in  one  short  week.  "  'T  was  no  time  for 
idle  lingering,"  he  at  last  told  himself,  "  but  time 
for  a  man  to  be  about  his  business ;  "  and  he  left 
sweet  Mistress  Mary  protesting,  and  took  his  way 
into  the  settlement  to  Mistress  Hawley's  house. 

The  things  he  talked  on  there  roused  many  a 
thought  in  Mistress  Margaret's  breast,  thoughts 
which  hitherto  had  been  cloudlike,  floating,  form- 
ing, re-forming,  clearing  to  the  horizon  and  then 
swarming  in  battalions,  and  now  filling  all  space 
as  she  walked,  in  tense  thought,  to  and  fro  in 
Mistress  Hawley's  living-room. 

She  went  to  the  latticed  window  opening  on  the 
street  and  flung  it  wide.  Outside  the  shadows 
were  long  in  the  lane;  the  walnut  threw  gigantic 


MISTRESS    BRENT  63 

arms  athwart  the  way ;  a  mocking-bird  in  its 
branches  began  to  sing,  to  mimic,  first,  the  cat- 
bird's call,  and  then  the  gull's  plaintive  cry,  to 
slip  from  bird-call  to  bird-call,  and  then  to  burst 
into  melody,  that  thrilled  and  thrilled  through  all 
the  sunlit  space  without. 

Mistress  Margaret  turned  her  hot  cheek  upon 
her  arm  and  listened  with  a  delight  that  overcame 
all  other  feelings  and  yet  pressed  upon  her  heart 
like  pain. 

"  Thou  art  listening  to  our  songster !  "  broke  a 
voice  upon  her  ear,  a  voice  slow  and  clear,  and  yet 
with  nothing  of  the  coldness  in  it  of  which  she  had 
accused  her  cousin  Calvert  when  she  had  first  met 
him  in  the  colony;  "  thinkest  thou  he  can  equal 
our  English  nightingale?" 

"  One  thinks  not  of  the  other  when  he  hears 
either,"  said  Mistress  Margaret,  quickly;  and  in  the 
swift  movement  of  her  head,  as  though  she  'd  look 
no  man  in  the  eye,  her  cousin  caught  the  flash  of 
unshed  tears  beneath  her  lashes. 

"  Come  !  "  he  said,  gently;  "'t  is  soft  and  warm 
as  midsummer,  thou  must  not  stay  mewed  up 
thus;  'twill  bring  on  heart-sickness,  and  there  is 
little  medicine  here  for  cure."  He  spoke  as  one 
who  knew.  "  This  is  all  we  have  for  remedy,  such 
a  day  and  sky,  and  such  fair  green  earth  as  this. 
Mistress  Hawley's  rose  is  fair  abloom,"  he  went 


64  MISTRESS    BRENT 

on,  as  if  to  give  her  time  to  quell  that  swelling 
of  the  throat  his  eye  had  seen  and  to  send  the 
tears  back  to  their  source;  "'twill  soon  cover 
doorway  and  window  alike.  'Twas  the  first  slip 
of  English  rose  planted  in  Maryland  soil.  See 
how  it  grows,  as  all  things  do  here." 

But  his  cousin  was  ready  and  smiling,  and  came 
to  greet  him  in  the  doorway. 

"  Thou  art  fairer  than  its  fairest  bloom,"  he  said 
softly,  as  his  pleased  eyes  dwelt  on  flushed  cheek 
and  tremulous  lip.  Mistress  Margaret  in  mood 
mischievous  or  petulant  was  pleasing  enow,  but 
Mistress  Margaret  thus ! 

"  I  had  thought  to  leave  such  gallantry  behind 
me,"  she  began,  petulantly. 

"Thou  forgettest  we  are  an  English  colony," 
said  her  cousin  gravely,  though  his  eyes  were 
yet  a-twinkle.  "  Nay,  buckle  not  thy  armor !  all 
things,  the  hour  and  fair  nature  alike,  cry  peace." 

"  But  I  —  I  am  not  —  I  feel  not  —  " 

"  Then  learn  to  be ;  't  is  a  lesson  we  all  need,  to 
snatch  its  pleasure  from  the  passing  moment." 

"  And  thou  wouldst  have  one  think  of  naught 
else?" 

"  God  forbid  !  other  matters  press  quick  enough; 
only  to  ease  the  armor  now  and  then  and  breathe 
at  peace.  See,  I  have  used  the  text  of  my  speech 
again." 


MISTRESS    BRENT  65 

Mistress  Margaret  smiled  radiantly.  "  But  't  is 
a  fitting  one,"  she  declared,  as  she  swept  her  long 
gown  about  her,  and  walked  the  pathway  of  Mis- 
tress Hawley's  narrow  yard ;  "  thinkest  the  song- 
ster ye  term  the  mocking-bird  sang  from  it?" 

"  Nay,"  declared  Calvert,  quickly. 

"And  then?"  Mistress  Margaret's  gray  eyes 
were  gravely  questioning. 

"  His  song,  fair  cousin  —  't  is  the  moon  of  blos- 
soms, as  the  Indian  hath  taught  us,  and  the  moon 
of  lovers  alike." 

Mistress  Margaret's  firm  chin  went  tilting  up  in 
air;  sentiment  played  little  part  with  her. 

"  Hast  heard  that  Jack  Childs  is  down  with  the 
prevailing  sickness?"  she  asked,  suddenly. 

"  So  soon  !  "  said  Calvert,  in  dismay.  He  had 
learned  to  dread  the  summer  and  the  sickness 
of  the  settlers. 

"  Aye,  the  ague  was  upon  him  this  day  and 
yesterday.  They  did  send  for  Mistress  Hawley, 
and  she  would  have  me  take  him  the  drink  of 
herbs  she  brewed." 

The  governor  was  silent  at  this  sudden  nipping 
of  his  bud  of  sentiment,  and  they  walked  quietly 
past  chapel  and  market  square,  the  governor's 
house  and  the  simple  homes  on  the  Point.  Wall- 
flower and  cowslip  were  abloom  in  the  small  yards, 
and  Mistress  Margaret  had  a  searching  look  for 
5 


66  MISTRESS   BRENT 

each  doorway.  She  knew  already  the  tale  of 
every  home:  here  was  sickness,  and  here  was 
stalwart  health;  here  was  rude  plenty  where  the 
men  were  strong  and  ruddy ;  here,  where  sickness 
had  lain  them  by  the  heel,  was  dependence ;  here 
was  a  heart  homesick  to  faintness ;  here,  some  heart 
bounded  with  thankfulness  for  the  bounty  of  the 
new  land  and  the  freedom  from  restraint.  And 
she  knew,  too,  and  must  honor  him  for  it,  that  to 
all,  in  joy  or  sorrow,  want  or  plenty,  the  man  by 
her  side  was  truly  a  friend,  who  felt  the  need  of  all 
about  him,  and  in  many  a  way  unspoken  of  aided 
them.  It  was  those  of  his  own  class,  those  who  felt 
they  had  equal  rights  in  the  colony's  affairs,  who 
would  yield  to  no  authority  save  what  they  them- 
selves created,  who  titled  him  as  slow,  unknowing. 

Under  the  big  mulberry  were  few  loungers. 
Men  were  at  work  in  the  fields  outside  the  town, 
planting  long  rows  of  velvety  tobacco  or  weed- 
ing the  slender  sprouts  of  maize.  Down  at  the 
wharf  lay  dugout  and  canoe  slow  rocking  on  the 
tide,  and  the  waves  rippled  softly  along  the  wide 
beach. 

Mistress  Margaret  drew  a  long  breath  of  delight. 
"  Aye,  how  I  love  the  world,  love  it !  "  she  cried. 
"  Cousin  Calvert,  how  a  man  can  tire  of  life  while 
the  seasons  change  and  blossoms  bourgeon  I  know 
not." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  67 

"  And  yet  —  " 

"  Yet,  though  one  's  heart  be  saddened  there  is 
ever  this  wondrous  world  o'  nature,  changeful, 
alluring." 

"  Unless  —  " 

"  Nay,  forever !  an  God  grant  me  a  long  life, 
I'll  fill  it  to  the  full  each  day!" 

"  Did  I  not  see  tears  in  thy  eyes  and  sorrow  on 
thy  face  ?  " 

"Because  —  I  know  not  —  because  thou  wilt  not 
listen  to  me,  because  I  am  left  to  eat  my  heart 
out;  and  yet  I  tell  thee  plainly  I  have  but  bided 
my  time,  and  that  time  has  come." 

"  But,  Cousin  —  Mistress  Margaret !  " 

"  Nay,  listen  !  "  but  suddenly  her  haughty  man- 
ner broke  before  the  look  in  her  cousin's  eyes. 
"  Sit  thee  here,  Cousin  Calvert,''  she  commanded, 
as  she  seated  herself  upon  a  log  of  driftwood  on 
the  beach,  "  and  I  will  tell  thee  again  thou  recallest 
that  day  when  I  made  so  bold  as  to  visit  thee. " 

Calvert  pulled  his  wide  plumed  hat  over  his 
eyes  as  though  to  shade  them  from  the  glare  of 
shining  water;  but  beneath  its  ample  brim  he  could 
sate  them  on  the  vision  which  seemed  in  truth,  as 
he  had  told  her  once,  as  though  a  bird  of  paradise 
had  strayed  to  this  far  region  and  plumed  its 
feathers  on  the  sandy  shore;  the  scarlet  bodice 
low-cut  and  short  of  sleeve;  the  flowered  skirt 


68  MISTRESS    BRENT 

'gainst  which  her  arms  shone  fair  as  marble  as 
she  clasped  her  hands  upon  her  knee  and  looked 
up  earnestly  at  him  where  he  sat  beside  her,  and 
the  whole  heart  of  him  quivered  like  the  shimmer- 
ing waves  beyond  his  feet. 

She  was  talking  of  many  things,  going  over 
the  old  words  she  had  used  that  spring  afternoon 
when  she  had  sought  him  in  his  home ;  words  of 
my  Lord  Proprietor,  of  promises  and  contracts; 
but  the  man  saw  only  the  gray  eyes  dark  with 
purpose  and  the  tendrils  of  her  hair  damp  with 
heat  and  clinging  close  against  her  brow,  just 
there  where  the  blue  veins  wandered.  He  lifted 
his  hand  and  then  clenched  it  tightly  beside  him, 
while  she  talked  so  eagerly  and  prated  of  that 
day  upon  the  water,  the  beauteous  spot  they  had 
passed  where  the  land  heaved  into  a  terrace,  tree 
crowned,  and  then  dipped  down  to  hold  a  dimpling 
pond  in  its  embrace. 

"  Embrace !  "  poetic  word  for  land  and  wave. 
Was  ever  nature  sentient,  did  the  land,  in  truth, 
throb  beneath  the  soft  touch  of  the  wave?  Bah! 
what  a  fool  he  grew,  could  not  a  man  think  on  a 
maid,  could  not  the  governor  of  the  colony  hold 
counsel  with  the  fairest  woman  of  its  realm,  with- 
out such  thoughts? 

His  thought  came  back  to  knowledge  of  her 
speech ;  it  was  of  acres  and  servants,  park  and 


MISTRESS   BRENT  69 

fields,  she  now  talked,  and  her  slippered  foot 
moved  restlessly  in  the  soft,  loose  sand ;  now  the 
buckle  glistened  and  now  the  sheen  of  silken  hose. 

"  Her  feet  beneath  her  petticoat, 
Like  little  mice,  stole  in  and  out," 

he  quoted  to  himself,  and  knew,  while  he  quoted, 
that  he  was  fool  enow  to  lay  his  great  body  there 
in  the  sand  to  feel  the  touch  of  that  dainty  foot. 
He  looked  behind  him.  Under  the  big  mulberry 
loiterers  were  gathering  from  their  early  supper; 
they  had  lingered  longer  than  he  thought.  The 
river  ran  red  with  sunset  lights,  and  the  women 
were  gossiping  in  their  dooryards,  the  children 
about  them,  or  singing  English  catches  and 
playing  English  games  in  the  sandy  roadway 
beside  which  budded  Maryland's  greatness. 

The  governor  rose  wearily  to  his  feet.  It  spent 
his  strength  to  curb  the  strong  feeling  in  him. 

"  Mistress  Hawley's  supper  waits,"  he  said 
gently,  and  Margaret  was  suddenly  angered  from 
head  to  foot  at  the  coldness  of  his  tone;  "but  I 
will  see  thee  afterward." 

"  Then  see  thou  bringest  that  map  of  Evelin's 
along  with  thee,  and  the  seal  of  Maryland,  like- 
wise." She  spoke  haughtily,  affronted  at  his 
manner,  for  he  had  let  her  speak,  speak,  and 
had  said  no  word,  and  now  to  put  her  off  thus. 


7o  MISTRESS   BRENT 

She  would  see  otherwise;  this  night  should  fin- 
ish it. 

Even  as  she  turned  and  her  glance  fell  on  the 
group  under  the  great  mulberry,  there  was  fresh 
cause  for  wrath. 

"  There  be  two  of  my  men,"  she  declared ;  "  my 
new  brother  would  fain  have  them  for  the  build- 
ing of  his  house !  " 

"  A  goodly  plan." 

"  He  will  take  them  for  no  less  than  six 
months,"  snapped  Mistress  Brent.  "  They  are 
hired  now  by  the  week  in  the  tobacco  fields." 

And  the  governor,  seeing  her  captious  humor, 
was  silent  save  for  some  word  to  the  loiterers  at 
the  gateways  or  to  the  children  singing  as  they 
passed,  and  singing  a  song  of  London  Bridge : 

"  London  bridge  is  falling  down, 
Falling  down,  falling  down." 

Chubby  hands  were  clasped  high  in  air  and 
marching  children  circled  under  them. 

"  London  bridge  is  falling  down, 
So  fare  ye  well,  my  lady  !  " 

"  Fare  ye  well !  "  Yet  he  noted  as  he  looked 
back  that  strong  arms  caught  at  last  "my  lady" 
and  held  her  secure.  Mayhap  thinking  on  that 
brought  his  great  figure  to  its  full  height  and 


MISTRESS    BRENT  71 

confidence  to  his  mien  as  he  walked,  his  heart 
filled  with  thoughts  sweet  as  the  blossoming 
flowers,  down  the  green  lane  to  Mistress  Hawley's 
house. 

She  waited  them  with  supper  already  spread  on 
the  board  in  the  wide  hall,  where  the  doors  were 
opened  back  and  front  to  the  faintest  breezes ;  and 
on  the  table's  shining  whiteness  were  fish  fresh 
broiled  and  maize  cakes  smoking  hot,  and  hominy, 
frothing  milk,  and  fresh,  sweet  cheese. 

The  governor  must  send  a  messenger  to  say 
he  would  not  sit  at  his  board  that  night;  but  the 
governor  was  obdurate.  Not  now  must  he  linger 
with  that  mutinous  face  anear  him.  There  were 
thoughts  within  with  which  he  would  hold  con- 
verse, though  the  thinking  on  them  went  like 
wine  to  his  head,  and  drew  him  back  to  Mistress 
Margaret's  side  as  steadily  as  the  moon  new  risen 
over  the  waters  drew  its  troubled  waves. 

Pine  torches  were  aflare  on  Mistress  Hawley's 
mantel-shelf,  and  the  sweet-smelling  myrtle  candle 
burned  dimly  in  the  hallway  when  he  stood  again 
in  her  rose-bowered  doorway;  and  in  the  hall, 
restless,  to  and  fro  paced  Mistress  Brent. 

He  had  learned  to  read  her  moods  well,  and 
here  was  one  he  loved  least  and  saw  most ;  it  was 
as  if  the  spirit  in  that  slender  figure  were  at  war 
with  self  and  all  outside.  Where  was  the  tremu- 


72  MISTRESS   BRENT 

lous  face  to  which  he  had  preached  his  words 
of  peace? 

"  Fair  cousin,"  he  swept  the  puncheon  floor 
with  his  plumed  hat,  and  then  came  closer  to  her, 
throwing  it  and  the  papers  he  held  upon  the 
table,  "  thou  mindest  me  —  thou  wilt  not  be 
angry>  I  Pray  thee  —  of  the  lion  we  caught  and 
fain  would  send  my  brother.  We  treated  it  gently 
as  we  dared  within  its  cage,  tempted  it  with  food 
it  loved,  and  yet  'twas  ever  restless  to  and  fro, 
e'en  as  thou  looked  now !  " 

"Until?" 

"  Until  at  last  it  died  !  " 

"Think  on  no  parallel,"  she  cried,  harshly;  "I 
will  not  die." 

"  God  forbid !  had  we  treated  our  fairest  in 
such  fashion  we  had  stained  our  colony  and  kept 
all  women  hence." 

"  Thou  hast  brought  the  map  and  parchment 
with  thee?"  she  demanded,  shortly. 

Calvert  bowed,  still  smiling  at  her  humor. 
He  knew  not  how  soon  it  might  melt  and  her 
mood  be  but  sweeter  for  the  storm. 

Mistress  Margaret  pushed  the  candle,  set  in 
the  narrow  mouth  of  a  gourd,  to  the  end  of  the 
table. 

"Faith,  I  wish  Mistress  Hawley  had  some  of 
the  stuff  lying  idle  in  my  chest!"  she  exclaimed 


MISTRESS    BRENT  73 

petulantly,  as  she  steadied  the  rocking  light  from 
the  hasty  shove. 

"Why  has  she  not?" 

"Because  she  hath  the  spirit  of  a  Vashti  and 
will  touch  naught,  pewter  nor  silver,  cloth  nor 
gold,  while  I  linger  on  her  bounty." 

"  There  are  other  ways  of  repaying,  and  I  will 
see  to  it." 

"What  canst  thou  do?  Grant  her  lands?  She 
hath  all  her  scant  number  of  servants  can  tend." 

"  Nay,  there  are  other  ways." 

"  Then  see  to  it,  I  pray  thee.  Let  there  be 
some  way  of  my  riches  reaching  her.  Thou 
knowest  I  have  enough  and  to  spare." 

She  pulled  the  great  chair  which  had  been 
placed  in  the  hall  up  to  the  candle's  light. 

"  Cousin  Calvert,"  she  said,  steadily,  "  thou  wilt 
seat  thyself  here  near  the  light."  A  mischievous 
smile  curved  for  a  moment  her  red  lip  as  he 
brought  his  chair  still  closer  to  where  she  sat. 

"  Here  are  my  Lord  Proprietor's  letters ;  read 
them  !  "  she  commanded  impatiently,  pushing  them 
toward  him,  and  she  leaned  back  to  watch  him 
while  he  did  so. 

The  candle  shone  dimly,  and  yet  it  lighted  the 
papers  and  the  face  above  them  and  gave  her 
time  to  study  the  thoughtful  face  lined  with  care, 
the  wide  blue  eye,  the  fair  hair  touched  here  and 


74  MISTRESS    BRENT 

there  with  silver  and  falling  long  upon  his  broad 
white  collar,  the  sober  velvet  doublet  stained  and 
splashed  —  it  was  one  of  her  plaints  against  him 
that  he  had  ever  little  thought  of  clothes.  The 
governor  should  go  in  splendor ;  there  was  that 
tale  of  my  Lord  Delaware.  It  was  said  of  him 
that  the  pomp  and  show  he  kept  went  far  to  re- 
establishing the  Virginia  colony;  it  made  men 
confident  to  look  upon  his  bravery. 

Now  did  this  Cousin  Calvert  wear — stay!  a 
doublet  of  deep  blue  velvet  would  suit  the  fair- 
ness of  his  skin,  slashed  with  pink  of  palest  hue, 
or  white,  with  silver  fastenings  and  such  a  collar 
as  Giles  wore  yesterday.  Giles  —  faugh  !  would 
she  have  him  such  a  dandy  as  her  brother? 
Rather  the  stained  doublet  and  tarnished  buckles, 
and,  she  eyed  his  hat  swiftly,  the  wind-whipped 
plume. 

Her  wandering  glance  fell  on  Calvert's  face. 
He  was  looking  back  at  her,  and  she  smiled 
swift  and  sweet  as  summer  sunshine. 

"Aye,  'tis  all  right,"  he  said  at  length;  "and 
Mistress  Brent  would  take  up  lands  in  Maryland." 

"  'T  was  that  which  brought  Mistress  Brent 
hither,"  she  said  primly,  though  she  flushed  and 
smiled  beneath  his  look. 

"And  yet  methought  'twas  but  the  daring  of 
thy  nature  which  might  sicken  of  us  and  return." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  75 

"  Never !  There  is  no  tie  which  binds  me  to 
the  Old  World  !  " 

Calvert's  heart  throbbed  high;  there  was  no 
lover,  then,  he  knew  naught  of  there  in  England, 
whose  memory  would  be  a  lode-star  drawing  her 
homeward. 

"  And  thou  wouldst  have  thy  claims  made  out?" 

"  As  duly  as  any  other  venturer." 

"  Yet  't  is  the  first  time  they  have  been  made 
for  women,"  he  added  idly,  toying  with  the  quill 
she  brought  him. 

"  T  will  not  be  the  last !  "  she  broke  in  quickly. 

"  Faith,  I  know  not !  hast  heard  the  law?  " 

"  Some  servants  talk  of  it." 

"  Our  most  puissant  Assembly"  —  his  voice  had 
a  ring  of  bitter  irony  —  "hath  declared  amongst 
other  things  that  no  woman  shall  hold  lands 
within  the  colony,  and  should  she  inherit  them, 
within  seven  years  must  she  be  mated  else  are 
they  forfeit  to  the  proprietor." 

"  Tut !  "  cried  Mistress  Margaret,  "  as  if  my 
cousin  Baltimore  could  not  do  what  he  pleased 
within  his  own  colony;  and  these,"  she  thrummed 
the  papers  by  his  side,  "  are  his." 

"  True,  naught  will  o'erride  this.  The  Assem- 
bly claims  not  the  sole  power  of  making  laws. 
It  must  be  as  my  Lord  Proprietor  and  the  Assem- 
bly say.  Only  they  must  needs  put  the  Assembly 


76  MISTRESS   BRENT 

foremost,  and  make  it  '  as  the  Assembly  sayeth 
and  my  Lord  Proprietor  assents.'  " 

"  And  now,"  said  Mistress  Brent  thoughtfully, 
"  for  my  six  servants,  two  of  whom  are  hired  in 
the  tobacco  fields,  three  at  work  on  Mistress 
Hawley's  land,  and  one  with  me,  I  would  have  a 
thousand  acres  situate,"  she  drew  the  map  toward 
her  and  ran  her  slender  finger  down  the  curve  of 
St.  Mary's  River,  — "  situate  here,  an  I  mistake  not. 
My  brother  Rogers's  claim  comes  next;  this  is 
'twixt  it  and  St.  Mary's." 

"  T  is  a  most  desirable  spot,"  said  Calvert, 
humoring  her. 

"  Aye,"  she  said,  complacently;  "and  for  two 
other  servants  for  which  I  have  writ  —  " 

Calvert  started  slightly. 

"For  which  I  writ  by  the  'Elizabeth's'  return, 
I  would  have  a  lot  within  the  township,  a  hundred 
acres  next  to  Giles.  I  have  already  thought  on  the 
name  I  shall  call  it, — 'The  Sisters'  Freehold.'  " 

"Thy  ambition  is  slight." 

"Nay,"  she  said,  "this  is  all  left  me."  She 
pushed  the  papers  aside  as  if  having  signified  her 
pleasure,  she  was  done. 

And  Calvert,  writing  slowly  as  was  his  wont, 
framed  the  words  which  made  her  mistress  of 
many  broad  acres. 

Mistress  Brent  waited,  beating  a  light  tattoo  upon 


MISTRESS    BRENT  77 

the  shining  table  with  her  finger-tips.  "  Now,"  she 
said  quietly,  when  it  was  done,  "  I  shall  get  my 
servants  together  and  see  to  the  clearing  of  my 
lands  and  the  building  of  my  house." 

The  quill  fell  from  Calvert's  fingers,  splashing 
Mistress  Hawley's  white  table  with  spluttering  ink- 
drops. 

"A  house!  " 

"  In  which  to  dwell,"  added  Mistress  Margaret, 
smiling  serenely. 

"  What  mad  project  — "  began  Calvert,  hotly. 

"  Madness  !  "  flashed  Mistress  Brent. 

"  Thou  wilt  dwell  on  thy  lot  in  St.  Mary's?" 

"Nay,  I  know  not,  'twill  scarce  content  me; 
mayhap  later  on,  but  I  build  on  the  manor  first." 

"  Thou  canst  not  live  there." 

"Canst  not?" 

"  Thou  wilt  not  dare  !  " 

"What  need  I  fear?" 

"Name  o'  God,  cousin,  there  is  the  Indian  !  " 

"  And  have  I  not  heard  thee  say  an  Indian 
scarce  shows  his  face  in  a  six-months,  and  it  was 
hard  to  come  by  the  arrows  ye  needed  to  send 
my  lord  for  his  yearly  tribute  to  be  delivered  at 
Windsor  Castle?" 

"  At  St.  Mary's,  but  that  is  far  afield.  And  the 
beasts;  know  ye  not  that  the  panther  and  bear 
lurk  within  these  dread  forests?" 


78  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"Ye  scare  me  not.  My  men  are  good  hunts- 
men." 

Calvert  made  an  impatient  movement.  "Will 
they  be  ever  near  there?  I  tell  thee  a  man — a 
man  takes  his  life  within  his  hand  who  ventures 
thus." 

"  Methinks  I  am  as  brave  as  Captain  Rogers  or 
my  brother  Giles." 

"  Brave !  't  is  not  a  question  of  the  spirit,  but  of 
actual  warfare.  What  could  these  do,"  he  caught 
her  hands  impetuously  within  his  grasp,  —  "  what 
could  these  do  an  the  fierce  bear  came  upon  thy 
doorstep  as  he  did  e  'en  last  winter  to  a  settler's 
cabin  on  the  St.  George's  and  seized  the  babe 
within  the  hall?" 

"  I  should  fight  him  off." 

"  Or  the  panther  spring  upon  thee  —  thou 
knowest  not.  These  hands  were  made  for  lover's 
kisses  or  softest  touch,  and  thy  shoulders  "  —  he 
caught  her  to  him  ere  she  had  any  thought  of  the 
words  he  meant  to  say,  he  bent  above  them  pas- 
sionately, the  soft  flesh  curving  in  the  farthingale 
—  "  for  this,  dear  heart,  for  this,"  as  he  stooped  to 
rain  hot  kisses  on  their  curves. 

"  Cousin — Calvert — "  panted  Mistress  Margaret. 

"  Ah,  I  have  frightened  thee !  Child,  thou 
shouldst  not  so  have  wrought  upon  me!  But 
thou  wilt  none  of  it,  this  wild  project;  bide  here 


MISTRESS    BRENT  79 

with  me  !  I  love  thee,  sweetheart,  beyond  the  tell- 
ing, beyond  the  dreaming.  What  —  "  for  she  had 
sunk  into  the  chair  and  thrown  her  arms  above 
her  head  on  the  ink-splashed  table.  "  Margaret,  I 
have  frightened  thee,  but  I  will  not  again ;  listen, 
sweetheart,  bide  here  in  Mistress  Hawley's  house 
awhile,  and  —  "  he  stopped,  breathing  hard.  "  Wilt 
not  try  to  love  me?  Am  I  so  uncouth,  have  I 
forgot  —  " 

Mistress  Margaret  threw  out  one  quivering  hand 
in  protest,  and  Calvert  seized  it  as  he  knelt  by  her 
side. 

"  Then,  canst  not  think  on  what  I  said,  to- 
morrow? " 

"  Nay,  never!"  cried  Mistress  Margaret, lifting  a 
face,  tear-stained  and  pain-drawn,  "  never !  think 
not  on  it,  put  it  far  from  thee,  hate  me  an  thou 
wilt,  but  love  me,  never !  " 

She  rose  to  her  feet,  while  he  still  knelt,  his  face 
turned  upward,  grief-stricken,  astounded. 

"  Thou  lookest  a  saint,"  she  cried  bitterly,  "  and 
I  the  fiend  who  tortures  thee  !  " 

"  Thou  art  the  sweetest,"  declared  Calvert 
sturdily;  "  and  yet,"  he  rose  to  his  feet,  "  must  it 
be  indeed  as  thou  sayest?" 

"  In  truth  !  " 

"  Some  day  —  " 

She  flung  herself  again  into  the  chair,  her  white 


8o  MISTRESS   BRENT 

arms  above  her  head.     "  Go,"  she  beseeched  him, 

"  g°  '  " 

"  I  cannot  leave  thee  thus." 

"  I  beg  thee  go  !  " 

He  turned  to  the  doorway  and  then  turned  back 
again.  In  all  the  silent  house  he  knew  none 
waked  save  them.  Mistress  Hawley,  tired  with 
her  tasks,  was  long  abed.  He  had  seen  her  pause 
at  the  doorway  and  then  go  to  her  own ;  the  men 
and  maids  he  knew  were  at  rest  in  their  quarters. 
He  came  back,  barred  the  heavy  door  behind  her, 
blew  out  the  flaring  low-burned  torches  on  the 
mantel-shelf  within  the  living-room,  clasped  the 
latticed  window,  and  came  once  more  to  the  sob- 
bing figure.  He  bent  above  her,  kissing  softly  the 
high  coils  of  her  dark  hair.  "  I  am  gone,  sweet- 
heart; I'll  trouble  thee  no  more,"  he  said,  and 
was  gone. 

But  Margaret,  spent,  broken  in  the  hour  she  so 
long  had  wished,  broken  with  the  passion  of  a 
storm  she  had  thought  long  past,  face  to  face 
once  more  with  a  grief-wrung  past,  mourned  for 
herself  and  the  man,  whose  loving  heart  had  been 
bared  before  her,  alike;  and  the  candles  died  out 
ere  she  groped  her  way  to  the  attic  room  where  the 
stars  shone  through  the  opened  window.  "  Thank 
God  for  the  stars !  "  she  cried  as  she  threw  herself 
upon  her  bed. 


VI 


MISTRESS  BRENT  had  her  way,  but 
from  that  day  began  her  enmity  with 
her  brother-in-law. 

Captain  Rogers  would  have  her  servants  for  his 
own  hire,  when  servants  were  scarce  to  be  had, 
and  he  was  consumed  with  impatience  for  pushing 
forward  the  building  of  his  house. 

Mistress  Brent  was  building  her  own,  and  had 
she  not  angered  him  before,  she  had  doubly  done 
so  now.  Every  caution  he  approved  she  threw 
to  the  wind.  That  she  should  so  venture  was 
past  all  dreaming;  that  she  should  plan  a  dwell- 
ing large  and  stately,  with  lawn  tree-shaded  and 
terraced  to  the  shore  where  her  own  wharf  should 
be  built,  while  he  was  building  small  and  narrow 
with  palisaded  yard  from  which  all  trees  were  cut 
lest  they  should  harbor  an  enemy,  was  an  offence 
unpardonable ;  to  find,  without  her  prating  on  it, 
that  brick  and  lumber  had  been  written  for  from 
Jamestown,  and  glass  and  furnishings  from  Eng- 
land ;  to  see,  when  his  work  was  done  and  his 
house  of  clapboard  and  smooth-hewn  logs  was 
finished  in  the  yard  of  raw  stumps  and  beaten 
6 


82  MISTRESS    BRENT 

earth,  Mistress  Brent's  slowly  finished  midst  tower- 
ing trees,  where  it  shone  fair  as  an  English  home- 
stead ;  it  roused  strong  words  of  biting  criticism 
until  they  reached  even  the  governor's  ears. 

"  'Tis  madness,  sheer  madness  !  "  Captain  Rogers 
had  declared,  "  to  build  in  such  fashion  when  the 
laws  of  Virginia  demand  that  no  outlying  dwelling 
shall  be  built  without  a  palisade ;  to  build  thus  and 
dwell  alone !  " 

"  Mistress  Brent  hath  great  dependence  on  her 
trustworthy  servants,"  the  governor  took  occasion 
to  tell  her  irate  brother-in-law;  "she  declares  they 
are  worth  a  score  of  some  husbands  she  hath 
seen." 

The  governor  spoke  with  a  gentle  touch  of  irony 
in  his  tones,  as  he  recalled  one  of  his  cousin's 
earlier,  biting  speeches.  She  had  grown  gentler 
now,  far  too  gentle,  he  thought ;  he  would  rather 
see  her  in  tempestuous  mood  of  scorn  or  anger, 
with  her  quick  manner  of  soothing  speech  and 
beguiling  smile,  as  if  she  would  heal  the  wound 
she  made.  But  the  quiet  earnestness  which  had 
come  upon  her  since  that  night  when  she  had 
loitered  so  happily  through  the  streets  of  St. 
Mary's,  when  cowslips  and  wallflowers  were 
abloom  in  the  dooryards,  seemed  centuries  ago. 
Sweet  wild  strawberries  had  blossomed  and  rip- 
ened since  then,  the  green  fields  of  Indian  corn 


MISTRESS   BRENT  83 

without  the  town  had  run  to  yellowing  tassels,  and 
the  pungent  leaves  of  velvety  tobacco  were  drying 
in  the  long  sheds. 

Mistress  Brent  had  come  and  gone  betwixt  her 
manor-house  and  Mistress  Hawley's ;  ships  had 
unloaded  her  goods  at  St.  Mary's  and  at  her  own 
wharf;  while  she  went  ever  serious  as  one  who 
hath  begun  to  write  a  new  page  of  life  and  would 
see  it  fairly  done.  Through  it  all  the  governor's 
eyes  were  upon  her.  She  little  thought  how  his 
caution  and  prudence  which  guided  all  his  affairs 
were  like  a  bulwark  about  her,  and  made  the 
carrying  out  of  her  plans  far  easier  than  they 
would  have  been,  nor  how  even  now  he  was  her 
defender. 

"  Thy  house  is  well  and  wisely  built,"  he  said 
to  Captain  Rogers,  "  with  strong  walls  and  with 
fortifications.  I  will  see  to  it  that  it  is  well  sup- 
plied with  ammunition,  and  in  case  there  should 
be  trouble  with  the  natives  it  must  be  the  refuge 
of  those  about:  'T  is  a  plan  I  have  long  held  in 
mind,  as  the  houses  spread  farther  apart,  there 
must  be  certain  ones  appointed  as  refuge  houses ; 
there  is  need  for  one  upon  the  St.  George's  and 
one  at  Mattapanient.  As  the  settlement  increases, 
these  must  be  erected  into  hundreds,  and  captains 
appointed.  Such  thine  must  be,  and  we  will  ap- 
point thee  captain  of  this  new  hundred." 


84  MISTRESS    BRENT 

And  Captain  Rogers  was  well  appeased.  To 
have  this  authority,  to  have  authority  over  Mis- 
tress Brent's  affairs,  to  be  able  to  summon  her 
servants  to  muster  when  and  where  he  would, 
to  have  in  charge  the  garrisoning  of  her  house- 
hold and  the  inspection  of  it,  though  this  was 
all  for  many  a  day,  was  a  power  dearly  loved 
and  duly  exercised. 

Seasons  came  and  went.  Mistress  Brent  was 
within  her  house,  her  orchards  were  planted,  her 
corn  lands  bearing,  her  tobacco  fields  yielding 
bounteously;  whatever  a  man  of  the  colony  dared, 
she  ventured.  There  were  hogs  upon  her  marshes, 
cattle  within  her  meadows,  sheep  on  her  pastures, 
and,  hardest  of  all  to  procure,  horses  within  her 
stables. 

Twice  had  her  venture  of  sweet-cured  tobacco 
been  shipped  from  the  wharf  before  her  doors, 
and  again  the  long  velvety  leaves  had  grown  their 
full  length  in  the  soft  air  of  Maryland.  It  was 
a  goodly  crop,  and  the  looking  on  it  filled  Mistress 
Margaret  with  joy  as  she  rode  by  the  border  of 
the  field,  keeping  her  brown  mare  to  a  sedate 
walk. 

The  blackberry  vines  with  leaves  already  spotted 
scarlet  tore  at  her  long  skirt  as  she  rode  slowly 
along  betwixt  the  forest's  edge  and  the  wide  rolling 
field,  the  leaves  of  the  sweet  gum  shone  like  a 


MISTRESS    BRENT  85 

flicker  of  flame  against  the  forest's  blackness; 
Mistress  Brent  drew  rein,  and  slipped  the  riding 
mask  from  her  face  and  looked  with  sparkling 
eyes  about  her.  The  dull-green  stalks  of  tobacco 
waved  to  the  orchard  she  had  set  behind  her 
house,  and  the  house  itself  shone  fair  as  an  Old 
World  picture,  set  as  it  was  in  towering  trees  with 
the  sparkle  and  glitter  of  the  vast  river  break- 
ing through  the  waving  foliage,  and  behind  her 
the  great  forest  stood  with  wide  spaces  between 
the  huge  tree-trunks,  inviting  arcades  of  dusky 
coolness. 

"  Hi,  Jock !  "  called  Mistress  Brent  to  one  of 
the  men  working  down  the  long  rows,  "  come 
hither !  "  she  turned  carelessly  in  the  saddle,  as 
she  waited  him.  "Art  nearly  done?" 

"  Aye,  mistress,"  said  the  overseer,  a  heavy, 
stocky  man,  with  long  arms  and  broad,  honest 
face;  "but  the  suckers  are  toughened  with  the 
drought,  't  is  weary  work  tearing  them  away." 

"But  the  work  will  be  finished  ere  nightfall?" 
Jock  looked  about  him  with  slow,  stolid  gaze. 

"  The  men  must  work  down  the  rows  and  back 
again  many  times  ere  all  be  done." 

"  Press  them  to  it,  Jock ;  thou  knowest  how  to 
get  the  utmost  limit  from  them.  Promise  them 
a  pannikin  of  rum  apiece  and  a  serving  of  bacon 
for  their  suppers,  an  they  be  done.  Good  lack ! 


86  MISTRESS    BRENT 

the  tobacco  looks  fine,  but  it  well  may  take  an 
army  of  men  to  tend  it." 

"  In  faith,  it  does,"  said  the  overseer.  "  There 
are  other  crops  might  pay  ye  better." 

"And  is  there  not  maize  and  wheat  enow?" 
questioned  Mistress  Brent,  quickly.  It  was  ever 
one  of  the  points  of  dispute  between  her  and  her 
overseer,  whose  stolid  face  hid  a  shrewd  knowl- 
edge of  farming,  and  whose  stout  frame  held  an 
equally  stout  heart,  and  one  faithful  to  her  inter- 
ests withal. 

But  Jock,  slow  of  speech,  had  ready  no  reply 
save  the  doubting  look  of  his  honest  face. 

Mistress  Brent  laughed  lightly.  "Jock,"  she 
began,  presently,  "  hast  heard  aught  of  my  sister's 
babe  this  day?" 

The  man  shook  his  head. 

Mistress  Brent's  gray  eyes  grew  dark  and 
thoughtful.  She  glanced  along  the  length  of  the 
field  to  where  the  river  shone. 

"  I  fain  would  know ;  yet  if  I  take  boat  and  go 
thither  I  needs  must  take  a  man  from  the  fields, 
and  the  work  presses;  the  tide  is  low."  She 
looked  back  in  the  dim  woodland.  Could  she 
ride  through  its  dusky  recesses  and  find  the  creek, 
she  would  be  on  Captain  Rogers's  land  and  not  far 
away  from  his  dwelling.  Yet  she  had  never  dared 
the  ride. 


MISTRESS    BRENT  87 

Jock  knew  the  quick  humors  of  his  mistress  and 
read  her  puzzled  look.  "Ye  will  not  venture," 
he  began. 

"  Faith,  that  will  I !  "  she  laughed,  as  she  struck 
her  mare  with  the  dogwood  switch  she  had  plucked 
and  pulled  her  head  straight  to  the  great  forest. 
"  Tell  Sarah  I  shall  be  back  ere  sundown,  and 
promise  the  men  their  cheer,"  she  called,  as  she 
left  Jock,  his  blue  eyes  a-staring. 

Down  in  the  deep  woodland  the  moist  air, 
fragrant  with  the  pungent  odor  of  the  hot  pine, 
was  deliciously  refreshing;  Mistress  Margaret  set 
a  straight  course  and  went  riding  gayly  on. 

"  'T  is  like  Maid  Marion,"  she  thought,  lightly; 
"only  Maid  Marion  went  oft  afoot,  and  —  yes, 
there  was  ever  Robin  Hood  to  keep  her  company. 
But  Maid  Marion  roamed  no  such  beauteous  woods 
as  these,  or  roamed  them  as  outlaw.  And  these 
are  mine,  upon  mine  own  claim.  A  fool  I  Ve 
been  to  be  scared  by  tales  from  the  'joyment  of 
them.  Pooh !  where  are  the  bears  and  panthers 
my  cousin  Calvert  prated  of  so  solemnly?"  Mis- 
tress Brent  knew  not  the  forest  creatures  slept  in 
their  lairs  at  that  hot  hour.  "  Men  set  scarecrows 
everywhere  to  keep  women  within  doors." 

She  drew  a  long  breath  of  delight  as  she  looked 
upward  at  the  flickering  sunlight  on  the  tree-tops. 
A  buzzard  floated  lazily  high  up  in  ether;  she 


88  MISTRESS    BRENT 

could  see  the  faint  motion  of  his  broad,  black  wing 
through  the  opening  in  the  foliage.  A  squirrel  chat- 
tered noisily  at  the  breaking  of  his  quiet;  the  land 
grew  moist,  and  the  underwood  tangled  with  laurel 
and  brier  and  dogwood.  They  neared  the  creek. 
Mistress  Brent,  lost  in  musing,  was  but  dreamily 
conscious  of  the  things  about  her.  What  was  that 
cautious  movement  in  the  thick  growth  ahead,  —  the 
flash  of  a  bird's  wing?  Nay,  it  was  too  slow  and 
steady.  She  came  with  a  shock  of  wild,  sudden 
fear  to  a  knowledge  of  it;  it  was  an  Indian  crouch- 
ing, steadily  stealing  to  the  point  where  her  course 
would  take  her.  She  cut  the  mare  wildly,  pulled 
her  sharply  aside,  and  went  crashing  through 
bramble  and  brier  and  dogwood,  till  suddenly  she 
was  at  the  creek  and  fording  it,  though  she  clung 
fearfully,  afraid  even  to  look  behind  lest  she  should 
see  a  gleaming  tomahawk  or  hear  the  whizz  of  an 
arrow. 

But  when  her  horse's  hoofs  were  safe  in  Captain 
Rogers's  field  she  was  filled  with  an  angry  scorn 
of  herself.  "That  I  should  have  felt  such  cow- 
ardly fear,  as  though  I  had  ne'er  seen  an  Indian ! 
Truth,  they  are  oft  about  the  settlements,  but  not 
at  such  seasons;  and  this  one  lurking  here  — 
tut ! "  she  berated  herself,  but  the  shuddering 
recollection,  the  nervous  horror,  were  upon  her 
for  many  a  day,  though  she  was  determined 


MISTRESS   BRENT  89 

there  should  be  no  mention  of  it  to  Captain 
Rogers. 

"  La !  he  would  have  the  men  out  o'  my  tobacco 
fields  ere  sunset,  and  would  be  mustering  and  drill- 
ing and  marching  the  forest  while  the  maize  went 
untended,"  and  she  set  herself  steady  in  the  saddle 
as  she  neared  his  house. 

She  fastened  the  mask  again  upon  her  face  and 
rode  forward  sedately,  smiling,  spite  of  the  parox- 
ysm of  fear  she  had  felt,  as  she  pictured  her 
brother-in-law's  horror  and  framed  the  words  she 
knew  he  would  say. 

The  palisade  gate  was  open  and  she  rode  within. 
The  heat  rose  in  heavy  shimmers  over  the  hard, 
bare  earth,  where  no  tree  gave  shade  from  the 
blazing  sun ;  stables  and  quarters  were  huddled 
close  about  the  house,  and  the  flies  swarmed 
thickly  about  the  open  doors. 

"  Good  Lord !  "  groaned  Mistress  Margaret,  as 
she  slipped  lightly  from  her  horse.  She  went  into 
the  narrow  hall :  it  was  deserted,  whips  and  guns 
littered  the  rack  of  wooden  pegs  stuck  in  the  wall, 
a  saddle  was  thrown  carelessly  on  the  floor.  There 
was  no  one  in  the  living-room.  She  opened  the 
door  to  the  back.  There  sat  Mary  half  asleep, 
her  babe,  burning  with  fever,  upon  her  knee. 

"  Margaret,"  she  cried,  a  thrill  of  relief  in  her 
voice,  "  I  begged  Henry  e'en  now  to  send  for  thee ! " 


9o  MISTRESS    BRENT 

Her  sister  raised  the  tiny  hot  form  in  her  supple 
arms  ere  she  answered  her. 

"  Has  he  been  long  thus?  "  she  asked,  anxiously. 

"The  fever  has  but  shortly  come  upon  him." 

"The  prevailing  sickness?"  questioned  Mistress 
Margaret. 

Mary  nodded.  "Yet  Henry  did  consider  this 
place  so  secure;  there  are  no  marshes  near  and 
the  wide,  salt  water  is  in  front." 

Margaret  laid  her  free  hand  on  her  sister's 
shoulder,  which  had  grown  softer  and  plumper 
with  each  year  of  matrimony,  until  Mary's  maiden 
roundness,  in  sooth,  bloomed  somewhat  too  full 
for  beauty. 

"Lie  down;  give  me  thy  chair!"  she  insisted. 
"I  can  hold  him  better,  thus.  See,  he  grows 
more  quiet  already;  thy  arms  were  too  wearied 
to  hold  him.  Where  is  thy  maid?" 

"  He  will  let  none  touch  him  save  me." 

"  Faith,  he  takes  to  me  kindly  enow ! "  said 
Margaret,  cheerily. 

"  But  thou  hadst  ever  a  wondrous  gift  with 
children,  Madge." 

Mistress  Margaret  flushed.  Rarer  and  rarer 
came  any  such  affectionate  speech  as  this  from 
her  sister,  who  made  all  the  opinions  of  her  hus- 
band hers,  and  held  toward  her  sister  a  half-irritated, 
half-querulous  manner. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  91 

"  Thou  wilt  have  to  give  me  one  of  them  some 
day." 

"  Now,  Margaret,  why  canst  thou  not  be  sensible? 
To  live  alone  —  " 

"Tut!  commence  not  such  old  themes;  rest 
thy  brain,"  said  Margaret,  impatiently,  "  the  child 
sleeps." 

Mary  pushed  the  hot  pillow  under  her  head 
petulantly. 

"  'T  was  but  yesterday  Henry  said  —  " 

"  Aye,  sweet,  thy  husband  hath  many  words 
of  wisdom;  tell  me  of  the  children.  Where  is 
Rosalind?" 

"  Playing  somewhere  about." 

"  I  saw  her  not." 

"  She  is  in  the  servants'  quarters,  belike ;  't  is 
cooler  within  doors." 

The  sisters  fell  into  talk  of  household  matters, 
talk  which  soothed  Mistress  Mary  more  than  sleep 
would  have  done,  for  her  mind  was  wearied  with 
old  thoughts  and  her  brain  was  tired  with  dream- 
ing old  dreams ;  and  Mistress  Margaret  was  fresh 
as  a  breath  of  north  wind  in  sultry  weather.  The 
shadow  of  the  house  for  whose  coolness  the  mother 
had  sought  the  back  room  grew  longer  across  the 
bare  yard,  the  flies  buzzed  sleepily,  and  Mistress 
Margaret  brushed  them  now  and  then  from  the 
hot  face  of  the  babe  on  her  knee.  Summer 


92  MISTRESS   BRENT 

drowsiness  brooded  all  about,  and  in  the  bare 
room  with  its  scant  furnishings  and  rough  walls. 
Captain  Rogers  scorned  luxuriousness,  and  used 
the  wealth  which  had  come  into  his  hands  with 
his  marriage  for  many  ventures,  trusting  to  make 
himself  a  power  within  the  province. 

The  soft  curls  about  the  baby's  head  grew  damp, 
his  cheek  less  scorching  hot. 

"  The  fever  breaks,"  said  Mistress  Margaret, 
thankfully;  "shall  I  lay  him  beside  thee?  Ye 
both  might  sleep,  and  —  what  —  " 

Mistress  Brent  listened  eagerly. 

"What  is  it,  Mary?" 

"  'T  is  Henry  and  —  is  not  that  the  voice  of 
Giles?" 

"  Giles !  he  is  in  Kent  Isle." 

"  'T  is  his  voice,"  declared  the  younger  sister. 
"  Nay,  go  not  yet,  tarry  while  I  have  time  to  tidy 
my  dress ;  he  must  not  see  me  thus."  Mary  rose 
hastily,  pushed  back  her  fair  hair  and  began  to 
search  feverishly  within  the  closet  for  a  gown  she 
deemed  suitable. 

"  Thou  hast  not  a  garment  fit  to  wear,"  declared 
Mistress  Margaret,  as  she  noted  the  tumbled  look 
of  each. 

"An  thou  hadst  two  babes  to  tumble  'bout 
thee !  " 

"  There  is  never  any  reason  why  a  woman  should 


MISTRESS   BRENT  93 

not  look  her  best."  She  laid  the  baby  on  the  bed 
and  turned  with  quick  whispers.  "  Here,  robe 
thyself!  "  she  wound  her  long  riding-skirt  upon 
her  arm  as  she  took  the  sprigged  linen  from  its 
peg  and  slipped  the  full  skirt  over  her  sister's 
head.  "La!  it  lacks  fair  an  inch  of  fastening." 

Mary's  face  grew  red  and  fretful  as  she  squeezed 
herself  into  it. 

"Nay,  I  would  not  fret  myself;  'tis  hot  —  our 
brother  —  true,  Giles  is  the  biggest  dandy  within 
the  province.  Here  he  comes  with  thy  husband." 
Mistress  Margaret  withdrew  into  the  farthest  corner 
of  the  room  where  Mary  diligently  fastened  her 
bodice,  and  waited  expectant,  a  light  of  amuse- 
ment in  her  dark  eyes. 

"  How  fresh  he  looks,  and  I  trow  he  hath  but 
this  moment  landed ;  but  he  should  have  been  first 
to  St.  Mary's,  and  methinks  I  would  have  known 
of  that.  Thou  hast  no  lace  so  rare  as  that  which 
shrouds  his  wrists,  hot  as  it  is,  nor  no  silk  so  fine, 
save  't  is  thy  wedding  gown,  as  that  of  his  summer 
doublet.  Not  a  curl  upon  his  forehead  seems  out 
of  place."  She  turned  laughingly  to  Mary;  "  't  is 
not  fitting,"  she  added,  mischievously,  "  't  is  not 
fitting  the  man  of  our  family  should  go  braver 
than  we." 

"Braver,"  said  Mary,  crossly;  "thou  art  ever 
bediked  enow." 


94  MISTRESS    BRENT 

The  men  were  still  in  earnest  converse  in  the 
shadowed  yard. 

"  An  they  take  much  longer,  Mary,  thou  wilt 
have  full  time." 

"I  am  already  dressed,"  declared  Mary  as  she 
picked  up  a  leaden-framed  mirror  which  lay  on 
the  top  of  her  chest  of  drawers  and  looked  at 
herself  complacently.  So  many  days  had  gone 
since  she  had  seen  herself  well  gowned,  she  felt 
a  wondering  pleasure  at  the  cool  stiffness  of  her 
dress. 

"  Here  they  come  !  "  Margaret  slipped  behind 
and  gave  Mary  a  little  forward  push  as  Giles  came 
with  formal  greeting  even  to  his  sisters. 

"  Mistress  Mary,  our  fair  sister !  "  Giles  was 
newly  made  Commander  of  Kent,  and  spoke  as 
though  he  were  a  potentate.  He  kissed  her 
lightly  on  the  cheek  and  then  started  as  he  saw 
behind  her  the  lithe  figure  of  his  older  sister,  her 
face  a-quiver  with  merriment. 

"  Giles,"  she  declared,  as  she  gave  him  her 
fingers  carelessly,  "  we  looked  not  for  thee  so  soon ; 
what  grave  matters  have  brought  thee  hither?" 

"  Graver  than  thou  thinkest,"  began  Giles,  but 
Mistress  Brent  herself  must  bear  some  questionings. 

Captain  Rogers's  stern  eye  had  noted  her  riding- 
dress  and  the  mask  upon  the  bed  ere  he  greeted 
her;  he  knew,  also,  no  boat  of  hers  lay  at  his 


MISTRESS   BRENT  95 

wharf.  "How  earnest  thou  hither?"  he  de- 
manded soon  as  he  welcomed  her. 

"An  it  please  your  lordship,"  she  began  de- 
murely, "  I  rode." 

Rogers's  dark  eyes  flashed  as  he  looked  mean- 
ingly at  Giles,  and  Mistress  Margaret,  angered 
at  the  look,  added  haughtily: 

"  Brown  Bess  is  in  thy  stables,  and,  now  I  have 
seen  the  babe  and  he  is  better,  will  take  me  home 
again." 

"Through  the  forest?" 

Mistress  Margaret  hesitated  a  moment,  and  a 
faint  red  rose  in  her  cheeks  beneath  the  men's 
questioning  gaze. 

"  Mayhap  there  are  limits  e'en  to  thy  daring," 
said  Captain  Rogers ;  and  his  jeering  tone  stung 
Mistress  Margaret  to  the  quick. 

"An  thou  thinkest  it  daring  to  ride  through 
the  forest,"  she  began  passionately. 

"  Nay,  sister,  there  are  reasons,"  said  Giles, 
gently,  — "  reasons  more  than  ever  why  thou 
shouldst  not  so  venture." 

"  Reasons !  " 

"  Aye,  there  is  much  disquiet  amongst  the  In- 
dians to  the  north." 

"  But  not  here." 

"  'T  is  said  they  make  league  with  the  Nanti- 
cokes  and  nearer  tribes,  and  there  is  grave  danger 


96  MISTRESS   BRENT 

of  an  uprising  such  as  they  made  in  the  Virginia 
colony." 

Mistress  Brent  fingered  the  folds  of  her  riding- 
habit  nervously,  but  there  was  no  word  of  the  lurk- 
ing spy  she  had  come  upon.  Whether  she  thought 
the  matter  too  slight,  or  whether  she  feared  the 
interference  of  the  captain  of  the  hundred  in  her 
affairs  when  she  wanted  him  not,  she  was  silent. 

But  Giles,  while  he  quarrelled  often  with  his 
sister  over  what  he  termed  her  lack  of  maidenli- 
ness,  was  yet  proud  of  her  beauty  and  her  power, 
and  would  hear  no  word  of  others  against  her. 
He  noted  her  discomfiture. 

"  I  did  purpose  to  stop  at  thy  manor,"  he  be- 
gan, "  and  will  take  thee  hither  now ;  our  brother 
will  send  thy  mare  safe  home." 

"  Giles,"  cried  his  sister,  angered  at  her  brother- 
in-law's  cold  looks  and  words,  "send  one  of  thy 
men  with  her  and  we  will  sail  homeward  in  thy 
pinnace."  She  followed  him  in  the  hall  and  laid 
her  fingers  lightly  on  his  silken  sleeve.  "  See 
that  he  be  well  armed,"  she  whispered  as  she 
pressed  his  arm  warningly,  "  and  caution  him 
that  no  harm  come  to  the  horse." 

"  Art  ready?  "  she  questioned  when  Giles  came 
back  from  his  errand. 

"  Ready !  "  cried  Captain  Rogers,  "  surely  he 
tarries  with  us." 


MISTRESS    BRENT  97 

Mistress  Margaret  was  silent. 

"  I  did  purpose  also  to  see  my  sister." 

"Thou  hast  seen  her  here.  I  must  talk  with 
thee  further  concerning  the  information  thou  hast 
brought." 

"  I  have  already  told  thee  all  I  know.  The 
governor  must  be  informed." 

"Then  ye  will  hasten  to  St.  Mary's?" 

"  Faith,"  said  Giles,  assuming  his  most  lacka- 
daisical air,  "  I  know  not ;  it  grows  late,  mayhap 
I  shall  tarry  for  the  night  with  her." 

Captain  Rogers's  face  hardened  with  anger,  which 
Giles  was  quick  to  read. 

"  Methinks  thou  wouldst  understand  that  there 
is  need  !  "  he  said,  emphasizing  his  words.  "Thou 
hast  thy  fortified  house." 

The  captain's  eyes  struck  sudden  fire.  At  last 
the  danger  he  had  so  often  prated  on  had  come. 

"  And  when  I  have  had  counsel  with  the  gov- 
ernor we  will  speedily  send  thee  instructions ;  till 
then  't  is  best  that  thou  shouldst  tarry  here  and 
see  to  thy  charge,  else  would  I  urge  thy  going 
to  St.  Mary's  also." 

Captain  Rogers  was  satisfied.  He  went  with 
them  to  the  wharf,  his  wife  by  his  side,  and 
watched  the  white  sails  of  the  pinnace  as  they 
bent  to  the  evening  breeze ;  he  had  even  a  word 
of  praise  for  his  wife  in  her  fine  gown,  and  Mary, 
7 


98  MISTRESS    BRENT 

who  had  begun  to  feel  the  trouble  of  her  toilet 
ill  spent,  was  well  pleased,  and  faintly  wished  there 
was  more  time  for  gay  dressing.  Yet  the  babes 

—  she  hurried  to  them  now.     The  boy  had  wak- 
ened exhausted  from  his  fever  and  fretted  for  his 
mother. 

On  the  pinnace  Mistress  Margaret  was  saying 
petulantly  to  her  brother,  "  I  would  not  owe  him 
anything,  even  the  sending  of  Brown  Bess  home." 

"  Thou  art  unjust." 

"  Tut !  thou  hast  not  to  live  with  him  for  neigh- 
bor and  listen  to  his  constant  carpings.  He  never 
comes  within  my  house  save  to  find  some  fault, 

—  the  maize  is  not  well  tended;  Jock  looks  not 
well  to  the  curing   of  the   tobacco,  and  yet  we 
shipped  more  last  year  than  he,"  she  added,  slyly. 

Giles  laughed.  "  Aye,"  he  cried,  as  he  caught 
the  tip  of  her  small,  pink  ear,  "  there 's  the  rub. 
Thou  art  dainty  enow  for  naught  but  loving,  and 
yet,  sometimes,  methinks  thou  art  the  best  man 
of  us  all,"  he  added,  with  unwonted  gravity. 

"  Now,  Giles,  thou  art  turning  me  to  ridicule. 
Thou  knowest  Jock  is  the  best  farmer  in  the 
province.  Faith !  he  hath  a  seventh  sense  as  to 
winds  and  weathers,  and  Sarah  is  the  best  house- 
keeper." 

"  'T  is  the  acme  of  wisdom  to  know  how  to 
choose  good  servants,"  said  Giles,  sententiously. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  99 

"  And  then  to  trust  them.  Though  I  believe, 
after  all,  most  of  the  affairs  are  under  my  over- 
sight." 

"  I  '11  warrant  me !  " 

"  But  of  thy  own  affairs,  Giles.  I  have  not  seen 
thee  since  thou  wast  made  Commander  of  Kent." 

"  South  Fort  Manor  is  as  well  laid  off  as  thine 
own." 

"Twas  Claiborne's  home,"  said  Mistress  Mar- 
garet, quickly. 

"When  he  was  on  the  island." 

"  And  had  not  our  cousin  Evelin  so  stripped 
it  —  "  Mistress  Margaret  looked  quickly  around 
to  see  if  any  heard  her;  they  might  criticise  the 
failings  of  the  government,  but  not  when  other 
ears  might  listen,  and  these  Kentish  troubles  were 
the  sorest  of  the  colony.  Evelin  in  his  brief  com- 
mandery  of  the  island  had  shamefully  looted  the 
home  of  Claiborne  for  the  benefiting  of  his  own 
new  manor  of  Evelinton  upon  the  Potomac. 
Thither  had  he  brought  the  furnishings  of  the 
dwelling  at  South  Fort,  and  had  even  removed 
the  new-set  orchard  to  his  own  fields.  But  spite 
of  this  material  advantage  he  reaped  little  reward. 
Evelin  was  hated  beyond  all  men  in  Kent,  and 
little  thought  of  in  St.  Mary's. 

South  Fort  Manor,  when  Kent  had  been  well 
subjugated  and  brought  under  the  sway  of  St. 


ioo  MISTRESS    BRENT 

Mary's,  had  been  bestowed  on  Leonard  Calvert 
by  the  proprietor;  but  he,  thinking  little  on  the 
widening  of  his  possessions,  had  given  it  in  turn 
to  Giles  Brent,  making  him  likewise  commander 
of  the  isle. 

"  'T  was  sparsely  furnished,  I  can  tell  thee,"  de- 
clared Giles,  talking  of  his  new  home  ;  "  yet  the 
site  is  fair  and  the  soil  fertile ;  the  isle  is  the  very 
gem  of  the  bay.  My  Lord  Baltimore  hath  been 
most  wise  to  insist  on  its  submission." 

"T would  ever  have  been  a  thorn  in  his  side, 
and  yet  methinks  Claiborne  had  good  cause  for 
his  claim." 

Giles  shrugged  his  shapely  shoulders;  Clai- 
borne's  cause  worried  him  not. 

"  Zounds !  't  is  well  for  me  't  is  so  !  " 

"Thou  hast  no  cause  for  plaint,"  said  Mistress 
Margaret;  "thou  hast  reaped  the  fruits  of  his 
labor." 

Giles  looked  down  and  smoothed  the  ruffles  on 
his  wrist. 

"  But  rightfully,"  he  declared. 

"  Rightfully  enow." 

They  were  seated  far  up  in  the  bow  of  the  pin- 
nace to  catch  the  cool  breezes  which  blew  fitfully 
down  the  river. 

On  either  side  the  haze  of  eventide  dimmed  the 
shore,  the  river's  breast  was  ruffled  with  the  in- 


MISTRESS   BRENT  101 

coming  tide  and  the  evening  wind,  the  flap  of  the 
sail  and  the  swishing  of  cleft  water  against  the 
pinnace's  prow  made  a  soft  murmur  that  filled 
the  pauses  of  their  talk. 

On  the  blue  water  were  wide,  smooth  swathes 
like  tortuous  pathways  on  the  waves.  Mistress 
Brent  traced  the  silvery  course  of  them,  idly 
turning  to  follow  the  shining  ways.  Her  own 
wharf  was  in  sight. 

"  Giles,"  she  exclaimed,  "  there  is  a  strange 
vessel  at  my  wharf;  't  is  —  't  is  the  governor's 
pinnace." 


VII 

IT  was  the  governor's  pinnace.  As  they  neared 
the  wharf  they  could  see  him  coming  from 
the  house  to  meet  them,  walking  leisurely 
in  the  shade  of  the  great  oaks,  and  then  his  tall 
figure  looming  against  the  bluff  as  he  came  down 
the  stairway  built  in  the  clay  and  leading  down 
to  the  beach. 

"  He  hath  come  himself,"  said  Margaret,  with  a 
sigh  of  satisfaction,  not  noting  that  her  brother's 
gaze  dwelt  upon  her  flushed  face  keenly. 

"  Cometh  he  often?  "  Giles  queried,  carelessly. 

"  Nay,  the  governor  hath  ever  weighty  affairs, 
and  takes  them  somewhat  seriously,  as  thou 
knowest.  Yet  he  must  ever  have  the  manors 
under  his  eye."  She  spoke  disjointedly,  as  the 
men  brought  the  boat  about  and  they  neared  the 
wharf.  "  Yet  Jt  is  a  pleasure  ever  to  have  him 
with  us;  he  is  at  ease." 

"  Relaxes  from  his  cares,"  said  Giles,  with  a 
touch  of  sarcasm  in  his  voice. 

"  As  if  e'en  thine  own  were  not  overpowering 
thee,"  declared  his  sister,  hotly.  "Faith,  when  I 
saw  thee  greeting  Mary  —  " 


MISTRESS   BRENT  103 

Giles  laughed,  though  the  shaft  went  home. 
He  leaped  up  on  the  wharf.  "A  happy  meet- 
ing ! "  he  exclaimed  as  he  bent  low  before  the 
governor.  "  I  am  but  now  bound  to  St.  Mary's." 

"  And  Mistress  Brent's  is  fair  tarrying  ground." 
The  governor  turned  to  hand  his  hostess  from  the 
vessel,  and  eyed,  surprised,  the  long  folds  of  her 
habit. 

"  I  had  but  ridden  to  my  sister's,"  began  Mis- 
tress Margaret  airily,  "  when  my  brother  came 
hither,  and  as  he  was  bound  to  our  manor  — " 

The  governor's  countenance  changed  somewhat, 
though  he  made  no  comment  on  her  speech,  but 
turned  to  Brent.  "  I  have  but  despatched  a  mes- 
senger to  thee." 

"  In  sooth !  and  I  sought  thee  with  news." 

"  Thou  art  haply  met ; "  he  bowed  gravely  as 
he  offered  his  hand  to  Mistress  Brent  and  led  her 
up  the  stairway  in  the  bluff. 

"  Truth,  we  are  glad  to  see  you,  Cousin  Cal- 
vert;  these  summer  days  grow  tedious  with  no 
talk  save  that  of  Jock  about  his  crops  and  Sarah's 
of  her  housewifery.  One  grows  aweary." 

"  There  is  not  a  line  of  weariness  in  thy  face 
and  not  a  note  of  weariness  in  thy  voice." 

"An  thou  readest  faces  and  voices  —  " 

"  T  is  the  truest  of  all  languages,  words —  " 

"  Are  but  to  conceal  one's  thoughts,"  said  Giles, 


io4  MISTRESS   BRENT 

as  he  walked  up  the  gravelled  pathway  behind 
them. 

"Is  that  thy  way?"  flashed  his  sister;  "now 
I'll  know  —  " 

"  Judge  me  not,  prithee." 

"  Come,"  laughed  Mistress  Brent,  "  I  '11  leave 
our  cousin  Calvert  to  your  word  cutting  while 
I  don  a  thinner  gown.  The  coolest  spot  upon 
the  manor  is  within  this  hall."  She  opened  a 
door  at  the  side  of  the  hall  and  was  gone. 

Sarah,  robust  and  red,  and  round-eyed  at  the 
thought  of  guests,  waited  her  in  her  chamber. 

"  My  cousin  Calvert  and  my  brother  are  come 
hither,"  said  Mistress  Margaret,  carelessly;  "look 
to  thy  supper." 

"  There  are  cold  capons  and  pasties  of  venison," 
began  Sarah,  eagerly. 

"  Nay,"  cried  Mistress  Brent,  "  I  am  not  the 
housekeeper,  I  leave  that  to  thee.  Send  Lucy 
hither,  I  am  grimed  with  the  dust  of  the  fields 
and  splashed  with  salt." 

Mistress  Brent  went  about  her  toilet,  a  song 
upon  her  lips.  Each  piece  of  dust  and  heat 
stained  clothing  must  be  laid  aside ;  linen  soft 
and  lavender-scented  must  be  put  on,  silken  hose 
and  buckled  slippers  donned ;  neck  and  shoulders 
must  be  bathed  in  scented  waters,  and  the  dark 
hair  coiled  high  and  set  with  golden  daggers. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  105 

"  Bring  the  coolest  gown  within  my  wardrobe," 
she  commanded  Lucy,  who  brought  a  thin  filmy 
tissue  which  was  neither  gray  nor  green  nor 
white,  but  shimmered  of  all  alike;  and  Mistress 
Brent  looked  at  herself  eagerly  as  she  donned 
it,  and  if  her  eyes  brightened  with  pleasure  at 
the  vision  she  saw  there  it  was  but  a  tithe  of  the 
sparkle  she  saw  in  the  governor's  eyes  when  she 
went  out  in  the  hall. 

How  it  rested  him  to  be  here,  in  this  cool,  dark- 
raftered  and  dark-hung  hall,  with  the  shifting 
shadows  of  great  trees  outside  and  the  hazy 
shine  of  the  misty  river  beyond !  Had  he  told 
it  to  himself,  did  he  know  that  in  all  new  cares 
the  first  advice  he  sought  was  that  of  my  lady 
of  St.  Anne's  manor?  did  he  know  he  valued 
her  word  beyond  that  of  his  council?  or  did  he 
think  it  was  the  comfort  and  the  rest  of  a  life 
so  far  different  from  that  of  many  of  the  colonists, 
that  it  was  but  the  enjoyment  of  a  fair  hostess  and 
the  luxury  which  she  managed  to  keep  about 
her  spite  of  the  raw,  new  land  in  which  she  lived  ? 
It  was  the  last  of  these  he  thought  on  in  their 
light  talk  and  through  their  sumptuous  meal; 
but  afterward,  when  the  dusk  lay  thick  beneath 
the  oaks,  and  the  nearness  of  the  river  would 
scarce  be  known  save  for  the  languid  wash  of 
the  tide  along  the  shore,  he  fell  into  talk  of  the 


io6  MISTRESS   BRENT 

colony's  affairs,  as  in  truth  he  had  come  to  do. 
There  was  a  step  to  which  he  must  persuade,  aye, 
even  command,  this  wilful  cousin  of  his. 

"Hast  heard  the  tidings  Giles  brought  us?" 
he  at  last  asked  abruptly,  breaking  a  silence 
which  had  fallen  upon  them. 

"Was  it  of  the  Indian?"  questioned  Mistress 
Brent,  quickly. 

"  Of  the  Indian,  and  of  the  gravest  import." 

"  There  are  rumors,"  broke  in  Giles  quickly,  — 
"there  are  rumors  in  Kent  of  a  vast  conspiracy 
amongst  the  tribes  from  the  Susquehannocks  to 
the  Matopeakes  and  Nanticokes." 

"  But  the  Nanticokes  are  ever  peaceable." 

"  Not  with  some  devil  to  stir  them  up." 

Mistress  Brent  turned  to  Calvert.  "Is  this 
thy  first  tidings?"  she  asked. 

"There  hath  been  trouble  brewing  for  many 
days,  yet  I  trusted.  I  have  had  the  traders  note 
them  carefully;  there  is  mischief  afoot,  yet  I 
trusted  alway  to  dwell  in  friendship  with  them." 

"Are  they  not  friendly?  What  reasons  hast 
thou,  Giles,  for  not  thinking  this  tale  one  of  many 
idle  rumors?" 

"  Idle  rumors !  "  cried  Giles  indignant.  "  Mar- 
garet, thou  passest  the  bounds  of  sense !  Would 
such  bring  me  hither  in  hot  haste?  Tales!  have 
I  become — " 


MISTRESS   BRENT  107 

"  Peace,  I  pray  thee  !  " 

"  We  in  Kent  are  the  most  exposed  of  all  the 
colonists,"  went  on  Giles,  as  though  he  presented 
the  matter  to  an  Assembly;  "should  danger  fall 
upon  the  province  'twill  strike  us  first." 

"  Methinks  not,"  said  his  sister,  quickly. 

"Twill  strike  us  first  there."  Giles  drew 
his  slender  figure  straight  in  his  chair.  "  The 
Susquehannocks  are  not  far  to  the  north  of  us, 
and  the  peninsula  'twixt  the  bay  and  ocean 
swarms  with  savages.  The  Susquehannocks  war 
with  tribes  to  the  north  of  them.  They  have 
been  worsted.  They  fear  extermination,  as  hath 
befallen  many  a  tribe,  and  they  have  striven  in 
great  secrecy  to  make  a  league  against  the  white 
man ;  'twixt  their  enemies  to  the  north  and  the 
English  settlements  they  are  held  too  closely. 
They  have  been  well  nigh  successful.  Even  the 
Matopeakes,  who  have  dwelt  so  peaceably  in  the 
settlement  in  the  isle  of  Kent,  grow  strange  and 
sullen.  They  meditate  some  great  and  awful 
danger  to  the  colony." 

"Then,"  said  Calvert,  as  though  he  had  been 
for  some  time  deciding  on  the  wisest  step,  but 
now  saw  his  way,  "  then  we  will  not  give  them 
chance.  I  had  hoped  never  to  take  offensive 
move  against  them,  but  to  dwell  in  Christian 
amity;  but  I  will  not  sit  still  and  see  my  people 


io8  MISTRESS   BRENT 

butchered.  There  must  be  no  Virginian  tale  with 
us.  An  there  be  war,  't  is  we  who  strike  the 
first  blow.  I  '11  blast  this  confederacy  ere  it  has 
time  — "  He  had  spoken  far  more  rapidly  than 
his  wont,  and  he  broke  off  abruptly,  "  What 
thinkest  thou,  Mistress  Brent?  " 

Mistress  Brent  sat,  her  hands  tight  clenched,  a 
shadow  on  her  face. 

"  What  would  ye  do?  "  she  asked. 

"  Send  a  force  against  them." 

"  Against  whom  ?  " 

"  The  Susquehannocks  ;  their  force  once  broken, 
we  are  secure." 

"  Aye,"  said  Mistress  Margaret,  speaking  low ; 
"  they  tell  strange  tales  of  their  prowess." 

"  Their  cruelty,"  corrected  Giles. 

"Who  will  command  the  expedition?" 

"  Cornwallis  is  most  valiant  and  well  skilled." 

"  But  not  a  man  of  Kent  will  serve  under 
him." 

"  We  need  them  not." 

And  then  they  fell  into  talk  of  the  colony's 
affairs.  Of  the  meeting  of  the  Assembly  in  the 
spring,  and  the  power  at  last  granted  the  colonists 
to  frame  their  own  laws,  the  Proprietor  retaining 
the  power  of  veto;  of  my  Lord  of  Baltimore's 
letters,  which  had  grown  strangely  short  and 
troubled ;  of  the  news  of  England  and  the  terrible 


MISTRESS   BRENT  109 

rebellion  which  had  broken  out  there,  and  which, 
they  felt  assured,  would  soon  be  ended. 

Times  were  troublous,  —  more  so  than  in  all 
the  colony's  history.  Their  talk  was  long  and 
serious.  The  night  settled  upon  them;  winds 
rose  and  sighed  in  the  tree-tops ;  the  tide  turned 
and  came,  rushing  loud  and  sibilant,  shore- 
wards  ;  fireflies  flashed  over  lawn  and  field  and 
marsh  ;  and  the  whip-poor-wills  called  their  shrill 
plaint. 

Giles  lingered  in  the  doorway  and  then  went 
slowly  down  the  gravelled  path  to  the  stairway 
in  the  bluff.  There  was  something  witching  in 
the  August  night.  And  as  he  loitered,  Calvert 
had  time  for  the  words  of  caution  he  had  come 
to  speak  to  Mistress  Brent. 

"  Cousin  Margaret,"  he  began,  with  such  a 
tinge  of  affection  in  his  tone  that  Mistress  Mar- 
garet started.  There  had  been  no  word  of  aught 
save  friendship  from  him  since  that  fateful  day 
four  years  ago.  "  Cousin  Margaret,  all  that 
Giles  hath  told  us  I  knew  already.  Mine  eyes 
have  been  upon  this  trouble  many  days.  'T  was 
that  which  brought  me  to  thee.  'Tis  no  longer 
safe  to  dwell  at  St.  Anne's" 

Mistress  Brent  fair  gasped  her  astonishment. 

"  I  have  not  warned  thee  a  day  too  soon,"  he 
went  on  impressively,  "  nor  a  day  too  late."  He 


no  MISTRESS   BRENT 

spoke  as  though  he  prided  himself  upon  his 
oversight,  as  in  truth  he  did.  "  I  knew  thy 
spirit  ;  I  knew  the  state  of  thy  farm  lands:  thou 
wouldst  not  leave  them  as  they  stand  ready  for 
the  harvest  were  not  danger  at  thy  very  door. 
Yet  now  it  is  in  very  truth. 

"  Thou  must  go,  thou  and  thy  household,  to 
thy  brother  Rogers's  on  the  morrow." 

"  Beshrew  me  —  " 

"Wait  till  thou  hast  heard  the  end.  This  day 
ere  I  set  sail  from  St.  Mary's  I  did  send  mes- 
sengers through  all  the  hundreds,  that  they  should 
betake  them  to  their  houses  of  refuge.  So  I  have 
already  told  thy  brother ;  but  —  I  warned  him  to 
leave  me  the  telling  thee.  To-morrow  I  see  Cap- 
tain Rogers,  he  must  have  his  full  complement  of 
soldiers  from  each  household." 

"  Cousin  Calvert !  "  began  Mistress  Margaret 
slowly,  though  her  face  had  paled  somewhat  from 
this  recital  of  a  decisive  danger  she  had  thought 
as  remote  as  the  stars  above  them,  "  we  are  safe 
here,  believe  me." 

"  Safe !  " 

"  I  have  ten  serving-men,  stout  and  true ;  how 
many  households,  bethink  you,  have  more?" 

"But—" 

"  Nay,  I  have  listened  to  thee,  listen  now  to  me. 
Should  this  danger  come  upon  us,  who  would 


MISTRESS   BRENT  in 

suffer,  those  in  the  town  or  those  safe  housed  in 
refuge-houses?  nay,  the  outlying  plantations  —  " 

"  Thou  hast  voiced  the  very  danger  I  am  come 
to  warn  ye  of." 

"  The  destruction  of  houses,  of  cattle,  of  crops, 
I  could  ill  stand  it." 

"  Nor  could  any,  yet  't  is  one  of  the  chances  all 
of  us  must  face,"  said  the  governor,  grimly. 

"  Yet  would  I  take  my  chances  guarding  mine 
own,  not  fleeing  like — " 

"  Mistress  Brent,  thou  speakest  with  more  of 
woman's  folly  than  I  had  ever  thought  — " 

"  Is  it  woman's  folly  to  guard  the  stakes  on  which 
are  thrown  one's  very  life,  or  man's  wisdom?" 

"  My  cousin,"  said  the  governor,  gravely  and 
coldly,  "thou  hadst  ever  the  gift  of  speech;  I 
bandy  not  words  with  thee." 

"  Nor  do  I !  "  cried  his  cousin,  hotly.  "  I  ask 
thee  a  question  fairly,  where  is  there  a  man  in 
thy  province  who,  having  staked  so  deeply, — 
nay,  staked  his  all,  for  so  I  have  done ;  Giles  hath 
been  more  careful,  and  Mary,  Captain  Rogers 
holds  her  wealth  fast^  but  I  have  ventured  all,  all. 
Where  is  there  one  who,  venturing  thus,  would 
turn  coward  at  the  first  breath  of  danger?" 

Calvert  rose  to  his  great  height  and  walked  un- 
easily down  the  dusky  hall. 

"  Cousin,"  he  said,  as  he  came  again  within  the 


ii2  MISTRESS   BRENT 

circle  of  candle-light,  "  't  is  not  a  question  of  house 
and  lands,  but  of  life." 

"  Life  !  what  care  I?  What  is  life  coupled  with 
a  woman's  dependence?" 

"  A  woman's  dependence,"  repeated  the  gov- 
ernor, as  though  the  words  cut  him  to  the  heart. 

"  In  Captain  Rogers's  household,  think  o'  the 
life  I'd  lead."  She  laughed  scornfully. 

"  Is  that  the  only  household  open  to  thee?  " 

"  Or  Giles's,"  she  faltered,  her  gaze  fastened  on 
her  tight-clenched  hands,  where  the  fingers  were 
folded  fast  upon  her  thumbs,  as  is  the  manner  of 
people  much  wrought  upon. 

The  governor  came  closer.  There  sat  the 
woman  he  loved  far  deeper  than  he  had  known 
when  he  told  her  of  it,  in  a  tremor  of  womanly 
fear,  and  his  heart  ached  to  comfort  her,  to  fold 
his  arms  about  her  and  whisper  there  was  an 
empty  household,  forever  empty  an  her  own  dear 
form  dwelt  not  there ;  why  should  she  not  be  the 
head  of  the  governor's  household,  the  first  woman 
of  the  colony?  He  wondered  why,  sometimes, 
ambitious  as  she  was,  she  had  not  weighed  this 
side  of  it,  and  then  loathed  himself  for  thinking 
on  it.  He  would  drive  no  woman,  even  though, 
as  now,  she  was  silent  before  him,  the  fairest  crea- 
ture God  had  made,  and  winsome  past  all  speaking 
on  it.  Yet  he  held  his  peace,  though  truly  the 


MISTRESS   BRENT  113 

look  on  his  face  spoke  for  him  as,  moved  by  the 
magnetism  of  his  gaze,  she  lifted  her  eyes  till  she 
looked  full  upon  him,  for  the  space  of  a  breath. 

She  sprang  to  her  feet,  and  Calvert  noted  even 
in  that  moment  how  the  candle-light  fell  upon  her 
fair  neck  and  soft,  round  arms  and  supple  wrists. 

"  Cousin,"  she  cried,  as  she  picked  up  the  can- 
dlestick, "  come  with  me !  " 

She  led  the  way  into  the  living-room,  and  to  a 
secretary  that  loomed  tall  and  black  in  the  dusk. 
"  Here  I  keep  some  rude  account  of  my  affairs. 
An  thou  carest  to  see  it,  every  pound  I  have  is  at 
venture." 

"What  have  I  to  do  with  thine  accounts?" 
began  the  governor  almost  rudely,  angered  at 
such  speech. 

"I  did  but  think  —  " 

"  Could  I  not  trust  thy  word  ?  " 

Mistress  Brent  bit  her  red  lip.  "Then  come 
with  me ;  thou  knowest  the  structure  of  our  dwell- 
ing;" she  walked  nervously  to  the  window, — 
"  thick  logs,  clapboarded  without  and  tapestry 
hung  within,  the  windows  heavy  battened  with 
great  oaken  bars  for  fastenings.  *T  is  not  so 
flimsy  as  it  looks !  " 

Calvert  followed  her,  as  eagerly  she  besought 
his  attention  for  wall  and  window  and  doorway. 

"  'T  is  strong  as  Captain  Rogers's,  and  as  for 
8 


1  14  MISTRESS   BRENT 

supplies  of  powder  and  ammunition,  faith  !  he 
would  not  allow  me  to  be  an  ounce  too  short  or 
a  gun  missing  at  the  cost  of  his  manor.  Yet," 
her  voice  took  on  a  tinge  of  irony,  "  I  do  double 
all  his  requirements,  though  I  would  not  have  him 
know  it,  not  for  —  not  for  —  Truth,  I  am  telling 
thee  many  confidences,"  she  went  on  brightly, 
gathering  bravery  from  his  silence. 

"  But  ye  could  not  defend  yourselves  here." 
"  In  faith,  why  not  ?    Because  I  am  a  woman  ! 
Can  I  not  call  my  men  within,  can  I  not  gather 
my  household  in  my  house  and  stand  or  fall?" 


"  And  if  I  fall,  there  's  an  end  of  it." 

"  'T  is  time,"  exclaimed  the  governor  impa- 
tiently, "  ye  made  an  end  of  such  madness  ;  were 
there  a  man  within  the  colony  who  so  resisted 
my  authority  —  " 

"  Authority  !  I  tell  ye  to  your  face,  an  ye 
command  me  to  leave  and  I  lose,  aye,  e'en 
one  shock  of  corn,  I  '11  hold  the  government 
of  Maryland  responsible." 

"  Od's  life  !  think  ye  the  head  of  each  house- 
hold will  do  so  when  the  proclamation  hath  gone 
forth?  Then  were  the  government  bankrupt  in- 
deed. Nay,  Margaret,  where  is  thy  woman's  wit? 
Think  on  thy  foolishness  and  how  thou  hast  put 
me  to  it,  e'en  to  hard  words  with  thee." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  115 

Mistress  Margaret  stood  as  though,  at  last, 
thwarted  and  overcome. 

"  Cousin,  an  the  savages  were  upon  us  and  we 
made  a  brave  stand,  they  might  be  driven  off  or 
held  at  bay  till  we  could  get  help,  but  did  we  flee, 
and  did  they  come  upon  the  plantation,  the  demon 
of  destruction  which  doth  possess  them  would 
leave  naught  to  tempt  me  again  to  my  manor. 
In  which  case  I  sail  to  England,  and  take  refuge 
in  my  Lord  of  Baltimore's  household." 

She  raised  a  warning  hand  as  Calvert  began  to 
speak.  "  'T  is  what  he  did  urge  ere  I  sailed,  and 
what  he  asked  in  my  wealth  he  is  too  noble  to 
refuse  should  I  be  come  to  poverty." 

Calvert  for  the  nonce  was  speechless  with  per- 
plexity, and  Mistress  Brent  was  silent,  leaning 
against  the  deep  window-frame,  though  her 
troubled  eyes  saw  naught  of  the  peaceful  night 
without. 

Presently  she  took  up  the  thread  of  talk. 
"  When  we  were  a-building,"  she  went  on  as  one 
who  tells  a  tale  and  tells  it  from  the  beginning, 
"  when  we  were  a-building,  we  hit  upon  a  strange 
discovery.  Where  the  river  curves  close  to  the 
house  and  the  bluff  is  high  and  bold,"  —  she 
broke  off  abruptly  as  though  her  speech  were 
not  yet  direct,  — "  there  is  a  cave  there,  large 
enow  to  hold  twoscore  men,  mayhap  more.  Jock 


n6  MISTRESS   BRENT 

found  it,  how,  I  know  not.  Sassafras  and  su- 
mac and  brier  clothe  the  sloping  side  and  hide  its 
entrance.  *T  was  a  scant  fifty  yards  to  the  house. 
Jock,  who  hath  had  good  knowledge  in  the  wars 
with  my  father,  well  knew  how  to  dig  a  passage 
from  it  to  my  cellars.  We  have  there  a  sure 
refuge.  Yet  have  I  kept  it  most  secret.  Were 
it  blazoned  abroad,  't  would  be  no  longer  a  refuge. 
A  boat  is  ever  near  should  we  be  forced  to 
flee—" 

"  Show  me  this  secret  passage  and  cave,"  com- 
manded Calvert,  shortly. 

Mistress  Brent  picked  up  the  candlestick  and 
moved  silently  down  the  wide  hall,  past  the  stair- 
way, to  a  door  behind  it.  She  opened  it  and  went 
down  a  narrow  stair.  The  air  of  the  cellar  was 
close  and  damp,  coming,  as  they  did,  from  the 
fresh  night  air.  She  placed  her  hand  lightly  on 
his  arm  and  guided  him  across  the  low  room. 
"  Pull  these  casks  aside,"  she  commanded,  "  they 
are  empty  —  so!  Thou  wilt  have  to  stoop  low." 

Mistress  Brent  gathered  her  silken  skirts  about 
her. 

"  Stay,"  said  the  governor,  "  I  will  get  a  light ; 
there  is  no  need  for  thee  to  'company  me." 

"Yet  will  I  go,"  she  declared  stoutly,  as  she 
bent  her  head  and  entered  the  narrow  passage. 
"Bend  low  for  the  first  few  yards,"  she  cautioned; 


MISTRESS   BRENT  117 

"ye  will  find  a  good  six  feet  beyond,  though  I 
doubt  me  if  that  be  enough  for  thy  height." 

She  shivered  at  the  darkness  and  dreariness ; 
cobwebs  brushed  against  her  head,  beetles  and 
frogs  and  things  of  the  earth  and  of  the  dark  went 
scurrying  out  of  their  way,  the  high  golden  dagger 
set  in  her  hair  caught  in  the  clay  overhead  and 
sent  it  showering  on  her  bare  shoulders,  but  she 
set  her  lips  tightly  and  went  on. 

"  Zounds  !  "  cried  Calvert,  "  't  is  enough  to  try 
the  strongest.  A  gruesome  refuge,  yet  safe  if  no 
one  know  the  secret,"  he  added  when  they  stood 
in  the  cave,  "  and  the  lawn  shows  not  a  hint  of  it. 
A  man  at  either  entrance  might  hold  this  'gainst 
a  hundred.  Why  hast  thou  not  told  me  sooner  ?  " 
he  reproached. 

"  A  woman  tells  not  everything,"  cried  Mistress 
Brent. 

"  Hadst  no  mercy  on  me  and  the  anxious 
moments  I  spent  thinking  on  thee,"  he  caught  his 
breath  sharply.  "  I  pray  God  few  women  know 
so  well  how  to  rend  a  man's  heart." 

"  Cousin,"  pleaded  Margaret,  a  sound  of  tears  in 
her  voice. 

"  Aye,  there  hath  been  many  a  wild  night  I  dared 
not  sleep  for  thinking  on  thee,  what  perils  might 
not  lodge  about  thee ;  had  I  dared,  I  'd  have 
wrested  thee  from  them  by  every  power  in  brute 


n8  MISTRESS   BRENT 

force.  It  hath  cost  a  hundred  times  the  struggle 
to  bide  still  and  let  thee  have  thy  way !  " 

Mistress  Margaret,  shaken  to  the  core,  had  no 
word  for  this  passionate  protest  but,  what  she 
would  have  scorned  hitherto,  to  lay  her  hand 
upon  his  arm,  and  then  to  bend  her  soft  cheek 
against  it. 

The  governor  caught  his  breath  sharply,  and 
his  hand  shook  so  that  the  candle  he  had  taken 
from  her  flickered  violently,  and  then,  caught  in 
a  fitful  draught  which  sucked  through  the  cave 
from  the  foliage-hidden  entrance,  went  suddenly 
out. 

He  caught  his  cousin  by  the  wrist  while  he 
searched  for  some  gleam  of  outside  light.  "  Aye, 
here ;  "  he  led  her  a  few  steps,  then  stooped  and 
parted  the  thick  branches  as  they  made  their 
way  out,  and  pushed  them  carefully  back  again. 

They  stood  on  the  beach,  the  stars  were  thick 
overhead  and  the  murmur  of  the  incoming  tide 
rose  like  a  song,  strong,  insistent. 

Calvert  spoke  quickly.  He  had  been  danger- 
ously near  words  it  was  no  fitting  time  to  say,  if 
that  time  should  ever  be.  "  Cousin,  thou  hast 
my  consent.  I  will  tell  Captain  Rogers  of  it. 
Bide  ye  here.  Should  there  be  danger,  invasion, 
ye  can  well  defend  yourselves  till  succor  could 
be  given.  But  see  thou  hast  ammunition  in  thy 


MISTRESS   BRENT  119 

secret  place  of  refuge,  and  that  there  are  ever 
boats  near  for  flight,  should  ye  have  to  take  to 
the  river." 

"  I  thank thee," said  Mistress  Brent;  and  though 
the  way  upon  the  beach  was  smooth  and  firm, 
she  laid  her  hand  upon  his  arm.  "  And  thou 
dost  not  think  me  fitful,  capricious?  In  truth, 
all  I  have  of  interest  in  life  is  upon  this  manor, 
else  — "  She  broke  off  with  a  sigh.  "May- 
hap 'tis  that  makes  chief  difference  'twixt  us, 
men  and  women.  A  man  has  many  interests, 
a  woman  oft  but  one.  Men  would  have  it  that 
one  interest  is  always  of  the  heart.  History 
showeth  many  not  so ;  "  she,  too,  spoke  as  if  to 
tide  over  anxious  thoughts,  and  Calvert  seconded 
her. 

"  Mayhap  't  is  true,"  he  said,  lightly. 

"  There  are  many  such —  " 

They  had  come  to  the  foot  of  the  clay-em- 
bedded stair,  and  Giles,  his  elbow  on  his  knee, 
rested  still  upon  it,  looking  dreamily  on  the  star- 
lit river,  dreaming  visions  far  tenderer  than  one 
looking  on  him  might  have  thought. 

He  started  violently  at  the  figures  on  the  beach. 
"'Fore  God,"  he  cried,  "I  thought  ye  ghosts; 
whence  came  ye?" 

"  An  thou  dost  fancy  thy  humor  only  is  for 
starlit  rambles?"  began  the  governor. 


120  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"  Nay,  I  lay  no  solitary  claim  upon  such 
madness." 

Mistress  Brent  seated  herself  upon  the  steps. 
"Tis  a  night  for  lingering  outside,"  she  declared; 
"  't  is  yet  hot  within  the  house."  She  took  the 
candlestick  from  her  cousin's  hand  and  put  it 
upon  the  step  behind  her.  "  Thou  wilt  join  us," 
she  said,  looking  up  at  him  and  pulling  her  skirts 
close  that  he  might  seat  himself  anear. 

Giles  wondered  at  the  governor's  gay  humor 
that  night.  His  wonder  grew  to  amazement  when 
on  the  morrow  he  heard  he  had  consented  to  his 
sister's  hardihood  of  biding  still  on  her  estates, 
and  then  fell  to  idle  thinking  as,  on  taking  his 
way  down  to  his  pinnace,  his  eye  lighted  on  a 
candlestick  thrust  in  a  corner  of  the  stair. 


VIII 

THERE  had  been  one  further  question 
from  the  governor  concerning  his  cous- 
in's affairs.  "Were  there  none  from 
St.  Mary's  she  would  have  bide  with  her  till  the 
trouble  blew  over?  " 

And  Mistress  Brent,  looking  demurely  at  the 
gray  planks  of  the  wharf  whence  she  had  come 
to  watch  their  sailing,  had  answered, "  Yea,  Mistress 
Hawley." 

"  Mistress  Hawley ! "  exclaimed  Giles  angrily, 
for  his  humor  had  been  peevish  since  he  had 
heard  this  foolhardy  decision ;  "  an  thou  art  not 
satisfied  with  thine  own  danger  but  must  bring 
her,"  he  choked,  as  if  too  impatient  for  speech. 

"  Truly,  Giles,"  began  his  sister,  with  brows 
uplifted,  "  thy  interest  for  Mistress  Hawley  waxes 
warm;  'twas  but  — "  she  stopped  astounded,  a 
sudden  tide  of  red  was  flushing  Giles's  tanned  face. 
"  Ha  !  "  she  continued,  remorselessly,  "  sets  the 
tide  that  way?  faith,  she  is  older — "  Margaret 
in  her  astonishment  was  speaking  rude  truths. 


122  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"But  a  year." 

"Sooth,  that  is  true,  and  yet  she  is  so  calm, 
so  self-contained." 

Giles  turned  away  impatiently. 

"I  but  thought  how  comforting 'twould  be  to 
see  her,"  cried  Margaret,  as  she  turned  protest- 
ingly  to  the  governor,  who  listened  with  quizzical 
look  upon  his  fair  face.  "  She  always  visits  the 
manor  this  time  o'  the  year.  Whatever  we  have 
of  fruit  is  hers.  She  prepares  much  of  her  winter 
stores.  We  owe  her  enough,  in  conscience'  sake, 
and  she  would  never  allow  a  reckoning." 

"  Thou  hast  fair  made  it  up,  I  ween." 

"  And  I  must  make  my  peace  now  with  Giles." 
She  went  to  the  pinnace  side  and  stood  talking  to 
her  brother  while  the  men  pulled  on  the  creaking 
sails  and  gave  them  to  the  wind,  and  then  she 
watched  the  white  sails  bend  away  to  St.  Mary's. 

A  feeling  of  loneliness  fell  upon  her  as  she 
turned  toward  the  house.  Out  on  the  river  the 
silvery  mists  still  hung,  making  of  the  opposite 
shore  a  shimmering  fairy-land  ;  the  dew  lay  thick 
upon  the  long  grass  beneath  the  oaks,  and  the 
morning  wind  blew  freshly  through  the  hall. 
Face  to  face  with  the  necessity  for  firm  action 
and  quick  decision,  she  was  yet  beset  with  a 
nervous,  petulant  mood.  She  had  had  her  way, 
and  now  she  knew  scarce  how  to  take  it. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  123 

The  men  were  already  abroad,  she  must  stir 
them  to  action. 

She  hurried  to  the  field.  "  Jock,"  she  com- 
manded when  she  had  called  the  overseer  to  her, 
"  work  the  men  hard  as  thou  darest,  bind  the 
bundles  of  fodder  and  throw  them  in  the  furrows, 
and  let  them  be  collected  within  the  barn  ere 
sunset.  I  know  —  but  there  is  danger  abroad  —  " 
she  went  on  nervously  to  tell  the  tidings  she  felt 
he  should  know. 

But  Jock  on  hearing  them  set  himself  sturdily 
against  most  of  her  plans.  She  would  have  the 
maize  housed  even  if  not  yet  cured,  she  would 
have  the  tobacco  cut,  the  cattle  driven  in  from  the 
meadows  and  the  hogs  from  the  marshes  far  up  the 
creek,  and  then,  with  all  her  produce  thus  gathered 
together,  she  would  make  stand  against  danger. 

Jock  was  far  too  good  a  soldier  to  counsel  such 
doings.  "  Send  warnings  to  the  men  who  tended 
the  swine  and  cattle  ;  let  them  take  refuge  at  the 
manor-house,"  he  begged  her ;  "  leave  the  tobacco 
uncut  and  the  maize  unhoused,  better  the  loss 
from  trampling  should  the  savages  indeed  come 
upon  them,  —  and  God  wot  I  hope  't  will  be  a 
wild  alarm,  there  are  ever  many  such  in  times 
of  danger,  —  than  to  have  them  burned  within 
their  sheltering." 

And    Mistress  Brent  heeded,  though  the   fever 


i24  MISTRESS   BRENT 

of  work  coming  upon  her,  she  toiled  the  livelong 
summer  day. 

As  the  day  went  on,  the  heat  waxed  so  great, 
so  lowering,  that  action  became  more  and  more 
difficult.  The  leaves  of  the  oaks  outside  hung 
limp  and  lifeless  in  the  scorching  air,  the  horizon 
thickened  from  the  clear  blue  of  many  days, 
a  sickly  grayish  hue  grew  upon  the  sky,  yet 
there  were  no  mutterings  of  the  storm  till  sun- 
set. Then  such  a  howling  fury  of  wind  and 
rain  and  hail  broke  over  them  as  those  of  St. 
Anne's  Manor  never  had  seen,  —  gusts  of  wind 
which  were  icy  cold;  merciless  hail  which  beat 
down  all  before  it;  rain  which  slashed  like  hail 
and  ran  like  rivers  down  the  sharp  slopes  of  the 
roof,  over  lawn  and  gravelled  pathway;  crashing 
thunder  which  shook  the  house  about  them,  and 
lightning  which  fairly  scorched  the  face  of  nature 
with  its  blaze.  The  heart  of  the  storm  passed 
over  them  and  went  howling  down  the  bay,  yet 
its  mutterings  could  be  heard,  and  wind  and  rain 
still  beat  about  them. 

It  turned  wintry  cold. 

"  In  the  name  of  Our  Lady,"  pleaded  Mistress 
Brent,  when,  its  first  fury  past,  she  moved  from 
the  dark  hall  where  she  had  taken  refuge  with  her 
women  about  her,  "  I  am  fair  perishing  with  cold ; 
canst  light  me  a  fire,  Sarah?" 


MISTRESS   BRENT  125 

But  Sarah  was  scared  past  moving,  and  but 
stared,  round-eyed,  at  her  mistress. 

"  An  thou  sittest  like  any  graven  image,"  began 
Mistress  Brent,  angrily,  —  her  nerves  were  sorely 
tried  by  the  tempest,  —  "  rouse  thee !  "  she  shook 
Sarah's  plump  shoulders ;  "  the  storm  is  gone." 

As  though  in  mockery  of  her  speech,  through 
every  crevice  of  window  and  door  licked  the  pale, 
fierce  lightning,  and  the  thunder  crashed  and  rolled 
overhead  and  boomed  more  sullen,  far  away. 

"  It  hath  passed  already  far  down  the  bay ; 
come  !  I  am  perishing  with  cold  ;  then,  sit  here  !  " 
She  seized  the  candle  from  the  table.  "  Lucy, 
look  within  the  chamber,  is  there  aught  for  light- 
ing a  fire?  " 

"  Naught,"  mumbled  Lucy,  shuddering  by  her 
side ;  "  yesterday  I  did  clean  the  hearth  anew  and 
fill  it  with  fresh  pine  boughs." 

"  Find  me  my  cloak,  the  scarlet  sarcenet." 
She  held  the  candle  while  Lucy  sank  on  her 
trembling  knees  beside  the  oaken  chest.  "  Toss 
not  the  clothing  about  in  such  fashion.  There !  " 
as  the  maid  pulled  out  the  crimson  folds  of  the 
wrap  and  fastened  it  with  shaking  fingers  about 
Mistress  Margaret's  bare  neck. 

"  Why,  thou  art  as  cold."  She  caught  the  rough 
hand  for  a  moment  in  her  grasp.  "  Get  thee  to 
bed,  girl,  thou  art  as  frightened  as  though  the 


126  MISTRESS   BRENT 

Indian  were  upon  thee ;  but  stay  !  "  She  went  to 
the  battened  window  and  through  the  peep-hole  at 
its  side  strove  to  get  some  view  outside,  but  inky 
blackness  wrapped  them  about. 

"  I  must  wait  for  a  flash  from  the  storm.  Aye, 
there  it  is,  and  all  is  peaceful  though  storm- 
swept." 

She  unfastened  the  window  and  flung  it  wide. 
"  Jock,  Jock !  "  The  door  of  the  cabin  in  which  the 
men  slept  was  opened ;  "  knowest  thou  if  the  storm 
hath  struck  anywhere  about  ?  " 

"  None  of  the  housings ;  there  is  no  danger  I 
can  tell  of  till  the  morning." 

"  Then  get  thee  to  bed ; "  she  slammed  the 
shutter  and  slipped  the  heavy  bar  behind  it  in 
its  sockets.  "  And  Lucy,  thou,  too,"  she  added 
kindly;  "rouse  Sarah  and  take  her  with  thee.  I 
will  tend  myself.  Though  were  Sarah  not  so  fear 
distraught — faith!  'tis  lonely  as  the  dead,"  she 
told  herself  as  footsteps  and  voices  died  away 
in  the  attic,  "  and  as  awesome."  She  caught 
her  breath  sharply  as  the  lightning  glare  flick- 
ered pale  and  white  through  every  crevice  in  the 
heavy  door. 

"And  what  to  do  —  would  I  had  kept  these 
silly  women  for  company,  and  yet  they  were  so 
sick  with  fear  it  did  weaken  me  to  look  on  them." 

She  wandered,  candle  in  hand,  through  cham- 


MISTRESS   BRENT  127 

her  and  hall  and  living-room,  all  the  extent  of 
her  dwelling;  felt  with  cold,  nervous  fingers  the 
fastenings  of  every  door  and  shutter,  and  came 
again  to  the  hall,  where  she  had  sought  refuge 
when  the  storm  broke  upon  them. 

The  massive  table  was  covered  with  a  rich 
carpet.  She  noted  every  coloring  of  its  pattern 
as  though  she  had  never  seen  it  before,  and 
followed  with  trembling  finger-tips  the  Eastern 
tracery  of  its  palms.  Her  own  great  chair  was 
drawn  beside  the  table,  and  she  sank  into  it, 
drawing  her  cloak  closely  about  her  thin-clad 
figure  and  bared  neck  and  arms. 

For  the  first  time  since  she  had  been  lady  of 
St.  Anne's  Manor  the  heart  within  her  trembled 
with  fear.  The  wind  which  swept  along  the  floor, 
and  struck  her  slippered  feet  to  icy  cold,  set  the 
tapestry  upon  the  walls  waving  as  if  with  unseen 
hands ;  the  antler  points  above  the  doorway  of 
the  living-room  caught  the  flickering  candle-light 
and  shone  as  sinister  as  though  they  clothed  the 
front  of  some  awful  foe;  and  the  darkness  in  the 
rafters  overhead  seemed  throbbing  in  unison  with 
the  palpitations  of  her  heart. 

A  surge  of  fear  and  loneliness  and  longing 
swept  over  her.  Useless  to  fight  against  it. 
None  could  see  her  weakness.  She  buried  her 
face  in  the  rich  carpet  on  the  table  and  wept 


128  MISTRESS    BRENT 

like  the  child  she  longed,  for  one  wild  moment, 
to  be,  while  rain  and  wind  beat  and  shook  the 
house  and  crashed  in  the  great  branches  of  the 
oaks  outside,  and  thunder  muttered  low,  and 
the  pale  lightning  quivered  over  land  and  river. 

So  fierce  a  storm  as  had  lately  raged  about 
them  shook  Mistress  Margaret's  heart.  With 
fear  fresh  upon  her  she  thought  on  all  the 
lonely  hours  she  had  spent  since,  spite  of  her 
cousin's  pleadings,  she  had  taken  her  way  and 
cleared  the  lands  of  St.  Anne's  Manor. 

She  thought  of  the  first  days  of  her  venture, 
when  there  was  naught  but  eager  planning  for 
the  day  and  heavy  rest  for  the  night;  and  then, 
the  first  flush  of  novelty  gone,  of  weary  moments 
she  had  begun  already  to  fight ;  of  winter  storms 
that  beat  upon  them  and  heavy  days  that  shut 
her 'in,  and  of  times  that  took  her  fiercely  when 
heart  strove  against  her  will.  It  was  not  worth 
all  this,  her  whim!  Was  anything  worth  effort? 
Would  she  not  tire  of  all  her  hands  could  grasp? 

Sick  at  heart,  she  strove  with  herself,  while  the 
storm  died  away  and  the  candle  flickered  low  in 
its  socket.  She  turned  her  head  wearily  on  her 
arm.  The  candle  was  at  its  last  gasp.  She  rose, 
gathered  candles  from  chamber  and  living-room 
and  lighted  them  all  upon  the  table. 

"  I  '11   have  no  more   hobgoblins  in  the  dark," 


MISTRESS   BRENT  129 

she  told  herself.  And  then  gathering  her  cloak 
about  her  she  began  to  walk  to  and  fro,  to  and 
fro,  in  the  gusty  hall  where  the  tapestry  still 
waved  along  the  wall. 

But  now  no  childish  fear  possessed  her.  That 
weakness  had  shown  her  something  far  more 
awesome  lurking  in  her  heart,  something  which, 
did  she  not  face  it  and  fight  it  and  conquer  it, 
would  eat  like  a  canker  into  her  life ;  something 
she  had  faced  and  fought  and  flung  far  from  her 
in  the  days  of  her  life  in  England.  "  She  would 
have  none  of  it  in  her  new  life,"  she  vowed.  The 
fear,  the  loathing  of  it,  had  driven  her  into  her 
work,  had  possessed  her  to  fill  all  her  days  and 
leave  no  moment  for  idle  dreaming.  The  angry 
winds  died  into  fitful  blowing,  stars  shone  out 
overhead,  the  storm-lashed  river  ran  in  great 
white-capped  waves  and  broke  booming  along 
the  shore.  Mistress  Brent  went  to  the  foot  of 
the  attic  stair. 

"Sarah,"  she  called;  "Sarah,  I  need  thee! 
I  am  restless  and  yet  weary,"  she  declared 
as  Sarah's  heavy  foot  stumbled  down  the  stair ; 
"  bathe  my  head  in  sweet  waters,  and  should  I 
fall  asleep,  leave  me  not !  Thou  canst  slumber 
on  my  bed  likewise;  'twill  not  be  the  first 
time." 

And  Sarah,  with  the  memory  which  never  left 
9 


ijo  MISTRESS    BRENT 

her  of  Mistress  Margaret's  childhood  days  when 
she  herself,  a  lass,  had  tended  her  and  oft  had 
slept  with  her  within  her  arms,  bathed  her  brow 
tenderly,  when  the  glittering  lights  were  blown 
out  in  the-  hall,  and  thought  her  own  thoughts 
about  the  wet  cheeks  and  lashes  beneath  her 
big,  soft  hand. 

The  morrow  was  clear,  with  sparkling  sunshine 
and  air  whose  every  breath  set  one's  veins  a-ting- 
ling;  yet  it  found  Mistress  Brent  languid  enow. 
Storms  had  swept  over  her,  and  she  was  bent  as 
the  tender  things  outside.  Sarah  hovered  about 
her  all  the  morning;  she  saw,  did  no  one  else, 
the  shaking  ringers,  the  dark  circles  under  her 
mistress's  eyes,  the  listless  air. 

There  was  little  the  men  could  do.  The  world 
was  far  too  wet  for  work.  Water  stood  in  the 
shallow  corn  furrows  and  the  fodder  hung  whipped 
to  ribbons  upon  the  bent  stalks. 

Jock  must  see  to  guns  and  ammunition  and  de- 
fence. It  took  him  all  the  morn,  and  she  herself 
was  busied  with  him;  and  as  the  day  grew  on, 
and  the  tender  green  things  unbent  themselves 
and  lifted  their  faces  upright  to  the  sun,  glad  of 
the  moisture  at  their  roots,  the  strong  impulses 
of  her  active  life  came  back  to  her. 

"  Sarah,"  she  called  blithely  as  she  passed  her 
in  the  hall,  "  see  thou  hast  a  good  supper.  I  am 


MISTRESS   BRENT  131 

famishing  as  though  I  had  been  fasting  ;  truth, 
I  Ve  wanted  neither  breakfast  nor  dinner  to-day." 

Sarah  went  off  well  pleased.  She  need  not 
watch  her  mistress  now.  Her  housekeeping  was 
the  delight  of  her  heart.  To  have  such  plenty, 
such  bounty  of  fish  and  fowl  and  game;  it  was 
Sarah's  only  cause  of  discontent  that  there  were 
so  few  to  share  it ;  but  to-night  there  were  to  be 
unlooked-for  guests  about  the  board. 

As  Mistress  Brent  paused  in  her  doorway  she 
caught  a  glimpse  of  a  white  sail  on  the  river. 
There  was  scarce  ever  a  sail  upon  it  she  could 
not  read.  She  took  her  way  to  the  edge  of  the 
bluff;  there  were  others  in  sight — two,  three, 
four!  What  meant  it?  For  days,  sometimes, 
the  blue  waters  were  deserted.  There  was  a 
pinnace  rounding  the  point ;  here  was  one  nearer 
at  hand,  and  here  another,  and  here  came  a  vessel 
from  St.  Mary's. 

She  turned  and  studied  them  eagerly.  They 
were  small  bay  and  river  craft ;  this,  wide  of  bow, 
low  set  with  slanting  sails,  was  the  vessel  of  the 
Courtenays,  who  dwelt  beyond  her  brother-in- 
law  ;  there,  could  that  be  from  the  manor  of 
the  Memmerton's,  and  this  at  the  creek's  mouth 
from  Point  Grace?  She  sat  down  on  the  clay- 
embedded  stair  and  watched  them. 

Aye,  so  it  was  as  she  thought.      One  by  one 


132  MISTRESS   BRENT 

they  shaped  their  course  for  Captain  Rogers's,  and 
she  thought  on  Mary  with  her  sick  babe  and  small 
house  crowded  with  those  refugees,  and  wondered 
how,  tired  and  worn  as  her  sister  already  was, 
she  could  make  shift  with  them. 

But  she  had  forgotten  the  pinnace  from  St. 
Mary's.  She  turned  her  head  quickly;  it  was 
nigh  her  own  wharf.  She  caught  the  glitter  of 
scarlet  on  the  deck.  Sooth !  that  was  Giles,  and 
by  him;  she  sprang  to  her  feet  and  ran  down 
to  the  wharf. 

"  I  knew,  I  knew  it  was  thou !  "  she  cried,  as 
she  flung  her  arms  about  Mistress  Hawley's  neck. 
"Giles,  was  it  thy  pleadings?"  she  demanded, 
mischievously. 

Giles  shot  her  a  quick  glance  from  his  hazel 
eyes  as  he  stood  flicking  with  lace-bordered 
handkerchief  his  spotless  clothing. 

"  I  did  but  tell  her  thy  speech,  thinking  she 
would  see  the  merriment  of  it." 

"  And  I  came.  I  was  already  thinking  on  my 
summer's  visit,  and  when  thy  brother's  pinnace 
was  at  hand  and  he  purposed  to  return  at  once." 

"  Giles,  't  was  well  thought  on,"  said  his  sister, 
warmly.  "I  knew  not — faith  I'm  glad!  thou 
knowest  not  how  drear  we  felt  after  ye  sailed 
away  and  left  us  with  our  ears  still  ringing  with 
Indian  tales." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  133 

"  Look  there !  and  there ! "  said  her  brother 
shortly,  pointing  down  the  river  at  the  vessels 
nearing  Captain  Rogers's  wharf. 

"  I  see,  and  have  already  read  their  tale," 
said  Mistress  Brent,  nodding  her  dark  head.  "  I 
am  but  glad  I  have  not  added  my  own  household 
to  Mary's  cares."  She  linked  her  arm  in  Mistress 
Hawley's  and  turned  toward  the  house.  "  I  will 
send  Lucy  for  thy  mails. 

"  With  thy  men  and  ours,  Giles,  we  are  well 
garrisoned,"  she  said  as  they  went  toward  the 
house,  though  she  waited  anxiously  for  his 
reply. 

"  I  will  see  Jock  and  look  about  the  place,"  he 
answered  evasively,  as  he  hurried  away. 

"There  he  goes,"  cried  his  sister  when  he  was 
out  of  sight,  "a  popinjay  in  his  apparel,  and 
yet  as  brave  a  soldier  —  though  his  temper  is 
somewhat  caustic  and  his  judgment  not  always 
of  the  best." 

She  trailed  her  slipper's  toe  in  the  gravel  of  the 
pathway  as  she  loitered.  "  He  needs  a  mistress 
for  South  Fort  Manor,"  she  said,  with  mischievous, 
sidelong  glance  at  the  friend  she  was  so  glad  to 
have  by  her  side  ;  but  Mistress  Hawley's  soft 
cheek  was  unflushed  and  her  brow  unclouded, 
she  only  looked  calmly  pleased  to  be  once  more 
at  St.  Anne's  Manor. 


134  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"  La !  "  said  Margaret,  half  petulantly,  "  I  wish 
he  would  marry ;  there  '11  be  none  then  to  say 
I  should  be  head  of  my  brother's  household.  I 
have  enough  ado  about  mine  own.  Thou  knowest 
the  cattle  we  brought  from  Virginia?  'Tis  a  finer 
breed  than  any  at  St.  Anne's.  I  have  a  calf  for 
theejthou  shalt  have  it  soon  as  it  is  fuller  grown. 
Come,  lay  thy  things  aside  and  we  will  to  the 
stable  and  see  it." 

But  Giles  came  hurrying  to  them  with  white 
and  stern-set  face.  He  had  found  Jock,  indeed, 
and  with  him  one  other,  dust-stained  and  fear- 
shaken. 

"  There  are  hundreds,"  the  fellow  was  saying. 
"  The  woods  swarm  with  them  !  " 

"Where?  what  tale  is  this?"  demanded  Giles, 
sternly.  The  fellow  fair  shrieked  at  the  sound  of 
the  unexpected  voice ;  the  men,  absorbed,  had 
not  noticed  Giles's  approach. 

"  Captain  Brent !  "  cried  Jock,  "  my  eyes  are 
glad  to  light  on  ye ;  "  he  stopped  abruptly,  shamed 
somewhat  by  his  warmth  of  speech. 

"  The  governor  cautioned  me,"  he  went  on,  "  to 
have  spies  about  the  woods  'til  this  danger  was 
past.  The  man  here  —  Bill,  tell  thy  tale  to  the 
captain.  Lord,  man,  thou  art  shaking  as  though 
thou  hadst  an  ague !  He  stalked  the  woods, 
cautious,  as  thou  wilt  know.  They  were  quiet,  as 


MISTRESS   BRENT  135 

alway.  'Long  'bout  afternoon  he  lays  him  down 
in  the  corn  furrows,  out  in  the  far  field,  sir,  and 
what  with  the  heat  and  the  quiet  he  fell  asleep." 

Giles  moved  impatiently. 

"Arter  a  while,  sir,  he  opens  his  eyes  and  he 
lays  still  as  the  dead ;  peering  through  the  corn 
stalks  he  sees  a  savage  crouching  and  then  lifting 
himself  upright.  He  stands  and  he  stands,  look- 
ing toward  the  house,  and  then  he  steals  off,  and 
Bill,  thinking  if  there's  more  to  see  he  must  get 
a  peep  at  it,  crawls  up  nearer  the  wood.  Ye 
know  how  clean  it  is  thereabouts;  them  woods 
was  just  swarming.  Bill  says  —  " 

"'Twas  Indians,  stripped,  with  daubs  of  paint 
all  over  them,  and  they  was  comin',  stealin'  up  to 
the  place  where  that  man  I  first  clapt  eyes  on  was 
waiting.  He  was  twice  as  tall  as  ye,"  the  man  ran 
on,  excitedly,  "  and  his  legs  were  big  as  Jock's 
whole  body,  and  he  had  a  club  the  twain  of  us 
could  not  have  lifted." 

"  Jock,"  commanded  Giles,  "  keep  Bill  with  thee; 
see  to  the  securing  of  every  living  thing.  I  '11  not 
have  this  tale  spread  'mongst  the  men  'til  they  be 
done  with  their  meal.  Go  quietly,  ye '11  need  all 
your  strength.  Gather  with  all  thy  fellows  in  the 
main  house  when  ye  be  done.  There  is  danger 
afoot,  and  of  the  direst." 


IX 


THAT  night  of  horrors!  from  the  fearful 
dread  which  fell  upon  them  at  Giles's 
words  —  the  barred  and  shuttered  house, 
the  breathless  waiting  for  danger,  the  first  crouch- 
ing form  seen  in  the  thickening  dusk  peering 
behind  the  men's  cabins,  the  blazing  tobacco 
sheds,  the  bellowing  cattle,  the  fiery  flames  of 
burning  outbuildings,  and  in  their  light  the  sav- 
ages, hundreds  strong  —  to  their  last  refuge  in  the 
cave. 

The  savages  turned  their  fury  on  the  manor- 
house  ;  from  every  loophole  the  guns  held  them 
at  bay,  but  the  house  with  its  great  oaks  about  it 
was  an  easy  prey.  The  roof  was  soon  ablaze. 

"There  is  naught  left  but  the  secret  passage," 
panted  Giles,  as  he  raced  down  the  stair  from  the 
attic,  where  he  had  vainly  striven  to  quench  the 
fire  upon  the  roof.  "  Margaret,  call  thy  women 
together;  Jock,  get  the  men.  Thank  God  there 
are  bullets  a-plenty  in  the  cave !  These  are  fair 
spent." 

He  was  stripped  of  his  scarlet  coat;  that  and 
the  tapestry  torn  from  the  loopholes  was  kicked 


MISTRESS    BRENT  137 

and  trampled  underfoot;  hands  and  face  and  bare 
arms  were  grimed  with  powder,  but  his  clear-cut 
face  was  ablaze  with  the  joy  of  battle;  his  cold 
indifference,  his  prim  formality,  had  fallen  from 
him. 

Mistress  Brent  groaned  at  his  words. 

"Is  there  naught  else  that  can  be  done?  Can 
we  not  hold  out?  There  is  not  a  wound  amongst 
us." 

"Thou  speakest  folly!  e'en  now — this  way, 
Margaret ;  haste  ye,  for  God's  sake  !  "  he  called  to 
the  men  and  women  crouching  about  them  in  the 
narrow  part  of  the  hall.  And  while  he  yet  spoke 
there  was  a  fearful  ramming  at  the  heavy  door, 
which  shook  in  every  fibre. 

Giles  caught  his  sister  by  the  hand  and  rushed 
down  the  narrow  cellar-stair.  "  Here,"  he  com- 
manded, "  haste  ahead  with  her,  Jock.  The  women 
next.  My  God,  the  door  is  breaking,  they  rush 
within  !  Mistress  Hawley,  why  did  ye  tarry?  "  he 
pushed  her  roughly  ahead  of  him  in  the  low,  dank 
entrance,  and  paused  to  try  and  pull  back  the 
casks  and  hide  the  manner  of  their  escape  long 
as  might  be. 

Within  the  passage  the  darkness  was  of  inky 
blackness.  Mistress  Hawley  stumbled;  he  laid  his 
hand  upon  her  shoulder  as  he  guided  her  before 
him.  "  Push  forward  close  to  the  rest ;  now  ye 


138  MISTRESS   BRENT 

can  stand  upnght.  Great  God !  heard  ye  ever 
the  like?" 

The  Indians  were  within  the  manor-house.  They 
could  hear  the  beat  of  innumerable  feet  as  they 
rushed  through  its  rooms  in  search  of  victims. 

"  They  will  soon  be  upon  our  trail,"  he  muttered, 
"  bloodhounds  as  they  are. 

"  They  are  too  close  upon  us !  "  he  exclaimed, 
when  the  frightened  fugitives  were  huddled  close 
in  the  cave  which  could  scarce  hold  them.  "We 
dare  not  take  to  the  boats." 

"  We  must,"  panted  Mistress  Brent.  "  We  dare 
not  stay  here.  Already  the  air  grows  foul. 

"Jock,"  she  cried,  "see  if  all  are  here.  Pray 
God  there  be  none  left  behind.  Hast  any  one  a 
candle?  Grace  o'  Our  Lady,  hold  it  aloft."  She 
gave  one  gasp  of  horror  as  the  pale  light  flickered 
down  upon  them,  and  Giles's  quick  look  following 
her  horror-stricken  gaze  saw  — 

Mistress  Hawley's  great  coil  of  hair,  loosened 
by  the  knocking  against  the  narrow  passage,  fell 
about  her.  She  stood  nearest  the  entrance  by 
which  they  escaped,  Giles  close  beside  her;  and 
as  Mistress  Brent  raised  the  candle  overhead  she 
saw  the  gleam  of  a  tomahawk  and  the  savage  flash 
of  an  Indian's  eyes,  whose  hands  were  already 
reached  forth  toward  the  long,  full  locks.  But  Giles 
was  upon  him,  his  dead  form  blocked  the  passage. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  139 

"We  must  out!  "  Giles  caught  Mistress  Hawley 
by  the  wrist, 

"Jock,"  he  whispered,  "go  forward  with  Mis- 
tress Brent.  Make  a  dash  for  the  boats,  the  sav- 
ages are  yet  about  the  house.  Stay,  where  is  the 
ammunition?  Deal  out  to  each  man,  quick!"  as 
Jock's  ringers  grew  clumsy  with  his  haste,  "  the 
candle  fails.  Now  !  " 

Jock  tore  at  the  growth  about  the  entrance,  and 
pushing  out  his  great  head  gave  one  quick,  cautious 
look  about.  The  high  tide  ran  close  beneath  them, 
the  boat  rocked  softly  by  the  stake  to  which  it  was 
tied,  and  the  stars  shone  as  calm  and  clear  as 
though  they  saw  but  the  heaven  of  the  river  be- 
neath them  and  not  the  hell  upon  its  banks.  He 
wriggled  out;  they  followed  him  in  breathless 
haste  and  huddled  'neath  the  shadow  of  the  cliff. 
Jock  started  for  the  boat ;  his  feet  were  on  the  wet 
sands  when  he  stopped  as  though  he  were  shot. 
He  crept  back. 

"  Mistress  Brent,"  he  whispered,  in  an  agony  of 
despair,  "  we  must  back  into  the  cave.  They  are 
on  the  beach  waiting  to  rush  upon  us.  There !  " 
they  heard  a  sharp  whisper  and  the  muffled  tread 
of  many  feet. 

Giles  leaped  forward.  "  'Fore  God,  't  is  the 
soldiers ;  no  Indian  ever  trod  like  that.  Hush  !  " 
he  checked  the  movement  of  the  men.  "  There 


1 40  MISTRESS    BRENT 

lies  their  boat,  though  how  —  Jock,  guard  the 
women,  stir  not  thou  and  thy  fellows  —  I'd  miss 
it  not  —  not  for  —  "  He  raised  Mistress  Hawley's 
hand  he  still  clasped  for  an  instant  to  his  lips  and 
then  dashed  forward.  There,  climbing  the  bluff 
scarce  twenty  yards  away  were  Calvert  and  Corn- 
wallis  and  the  men  of  Maryland  who  had  been 
organized  to  proceed  against  the  Susquehannocks. 

"  The  savages  swarm  in  the  house,"  gasped 
Giles,  as  he  pushed  forward  to  Calvert's  side  and 
ran  with  him  across  the  lawn.  "  Forward  !  "  cried 
Calvert,  "  with  all  the  noise  of  hell !  " 

The  Indians,  hearing  that  great  shout  and  the 
rush  of  many  feet,  were  terror-stricken.  They 
fled  from  the  light  of  the  burning  buildings  to  the 
refuge  of  the  darkness,  the  soldiers  in  swift  pur- 
suit. By  smouldering  ruin  of  barn  and  stable,  in 
furrows  of  the  maize,  by  forest's  edge,  the  Indians 
fell.  The  sun  rose  strong  and  clear.  The  alarm 
had  reached  Captain  Rogers,  and  his  men  joined 
in  the  pursuit.  Of  Nanticoke  and  Susquehannock 
scarce  a  score  found  safety  in  their  villages. 

Calvert  would  have  an  end  of  it  at  once.  Corn- 
wallis  and  his  men  took  to  boat  and  sailed  to  the 
great  river  of  the  north.  They  raided  the  Indian 
villages  on  its  banks,  and  on  the  green  isle,  set  like 
a  jewel  in  the  river's  mouth,  they  strengthened 
the  block-house  built  by  Thomas  Smith  and  now 


MISTRESS    BRENT  141 

deserted,  and  left  a  score  of  soldiers  to  keep  per- 
petual watch  and  ward. 

Never  again,  swore  the  governor,  should  they 
gather  such  force  as  to  be  able  to  march  against 
the  settlements  of  Maryland. 

But  at  St.  Anne's  it  looked  as  if,  in  truth,  Mis- 
tress Brent's  labors  had  come  to  naught.  Well 
was  it  that  the  storm  of  yesternight  had  beaten 
upon  the  roof  and  left  its  shingling  sodden  with 
the  wet  so  that  the  blaze  spread  slowly. 

Mistress  Brent  was  not  one  to  linger  far  behind. 
As  the  battle-shrieks  rang  further  and  further 
afield  from  the  little  group  huddled  on  the  beach, 
she  would  listen  to  no  word  of  caution. 

"The  soldiers  drive  the  savages  before  them," 
she  cried,  "  we  must  to  the  house.  Jock,  will  ye 
tarry  like  cowards  here?  Nay,  then,  I  will  alone." 
She  sprang  up  the  clay-embedded  stair,  but  they 
followed  her  close.  Before  the  house  the  way 
was  clear. 

"Up  to  the  roof!"  the  mistress  of  the  manor- 
house  cried;  "the  women  will  draw  water  and  pass 
it  to  you.  Mistress  Hawley,  come  with  me."  She 
ran  through  the  hall  to  the  well  which  had  been 
sunken  behind  the  house  and  caught  the  bucket 
and  sent  it  splashing  down ;  Sarah  and  Mistress 
Hawley  sprang  to  the  sweep.  The  women  were 
ready  to  rush  with  it  to  the  men ;  until  the  well 


i42  MISTRESS    BRENT 

was  nigh  dry  they  wrought,  and  the  house  was 
saved. 

When  the  ghastly  light  of  dawn  broke  on  them, 
grimed  with  smoke  and  cinders,  their  hands  blis- 
tered with  the  working  of  the  well-sweep,  they 
saw  they  had  stood  for  hours  with  the  dead  body 
of  an  Indian  a  yard  away. 

Mistress  Brent  sickened  at  the  gruesome  sight. 
"  Come  away,"  she  begged  Mistress  Hawley  and 
Sarah ;  "  the  house  is  saved,  what  there  was  left 
to  save,"  she  added,  bitterly.  "  Come,  Katharine ;" 
she  put  her  hand  on  Mistress  Hawley's  arm,  fairly 
staggering  as  she  did  so. 

"  It  hath  been  a  bitter  night,"  said  Mistress 
Hawley,  soothingly ;  "  we  will  within  doors." 

"  There  is  naught  left  but  the  walls,"  wailed 
Sarah,  as  they  put  foot  inside  the  hall. 

"  Peace  !  "  commanded  Mistress  Hawley  sharply, 
her  own  nerves  strengthened  by  the  fear  in  Sarah's 
face  and  voice,  though  she  was  fair  appalled  at  the 
ruin  she  saw  about  her. 

The  tapestry  hung  by  shreds  upon  the  walls  or 
was  kicked  and  trampled  in  heaps  upon  the  floor; 
the  vessels  upon  the  table  where  they  had  eaten 
their  meal  overnight  were  strewn  here  and  there ; 
the  hangings  of  the  bed,  the  covers,  the  beds  them- 
selves, were  torn  and  trampled  in  the  room ;  clothes 
from  the  chests  were  thrown  in  glittering  heaps. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  143 

Mistress  Margaret  went  from  room  to  room 
without  a  word.  Where  had  been  luxury  and 
fair  order  but  yesterday,  was  now  chaotic  ruin. 

She  set  her  red  lips  firmly.  Indignant  anger 
surged  through  her,  renewing  her  spent  strength. 
She  had  thought  to  throw  herself  for  rest  in  some 
corner  of  her  dwelling,  instead  she  would  bend  to 
the  hardest  task. 

"  Call  the  maids  from  the  attic,"  she  com- 
manded Sarah.  "The  men  likewise.  Mistress 
Hawley,  lend  me  a  helping  hand."  She  bent 
her  slender  arms  under  the  heavy  overturned 
table.  From  the  folds  of  the  rich  carpet  which 
had  covered  it  rolled  a  pewter  tankard  battered 
and  dented.  Mistress  Margaret  picked  it  up. 

"  Come  to  the  store-room,"  she  cried,  as  she 
made  quick  way  toward  it.  "  T  is  well  I  had  it 
built  here  next  the  living-room,  else  would  we 
have  gone  starving."  She  knelt  by  a  cask. 
"  Here,  my  hands  shake  like  the  leaves  in  the 
wind,  thine  are  as  steady  as  a  rock.  Thou  wilt 
not  think  on  thy  abstemious  habits,"  she  begged ; 
"  drink  a  draught  of  this.  Nay,  an  thou  art  so 
dainty,"  she  dragged  a  mouldy  bottle  from  the 
shelf  and  held  it  in  her  arm  as  she  foraged,  "  and 
here  is  cold  capon  and  maize  cakes.  Our  Lady 
be  praised  that  Sarah  is  ever  provident !  " 

She  hurried  with  food  and   drink  to  the  hall. 


i44  MISTRESS    BRENT 

The  men  and  women,  spent  and  grimed,  were 
gathering  there.  "  Here,"  called  Mistress  Brent, 
"here  is  food  and  drink;  rest  ye,  there  is  work 
yet  to  be  done.  Katharine,  sit  ye  here;  carve 
this  capon.  Pass  the  tankard  about,"  she  com- 
manded ;  "  there  is  more  and  plenty.  Well  the 
savages  had  not  time  to  find  it. 

"  The  soldiers  will  be  returning  soon,"  she  de- 
clared when  the  servants  were  comforted  with  food 
and  drink,  "  we  must  make  some  order  and  cheer 
for  them.  Aye,  tasted  food  ever  so  good?"  she 
held  a  maize  cake  in  her  blistered  hand  and  she 
ate  of  it  and  the  capon  savagely.  "  Remember 
thyself  also,  Mistress  Hawley,  as  thou  servest  the 
fowl ; "  she  began  to  make  a  jest  of  their  pitiful 
estate  as  she  walked  to  and  fro,  food  in  hand. 

"  Faith,  Sarah,  here  is  darning  for  a  twelve- 
month," she  cried,  pointing  to  the  tapestry.  "The 
silver  and  pewter  play  hide-and-seek."  Her  rest- 
less foot  kicked  against  a  candlestick.  "  Methinks 
I  see  a  drinking-vessel  peeping  from  Giles's  coat ; 
aye,  'twill  be  a  rare  tale  to  tell  for  many  a  day, 
this  of  our  siege  and  of  the  saving  of  our  manor- 
house.  Sarah,  draw  again.  Jock,  uncork  me  this 
bottle.  Now,  Katharine,  faith  thou 'It  take  a  sip 
from  this  !  "  She  picked  up  Giles's  coat  and  shook 
it  lustily  and  the  mug  ran  ringing  on  the  floor. 
"  Here,"  she  cried,  as  she  filled  it  to  the  brim, 


MISTRESS    BRENT  145 

"  here 's  to  St.  Anne's !  An  thou  drinkest  it  not, 
I  '11  know  how  little  ye  love  me  !  Now,  to  work! 
Jock,  put  back  the  feather-bed  in  place  in  my 
chamber,  then  take  the  men  without;  there  are 
dread  objects  there."  Her  face  hardened.  "  See 
they  be  gotten  rid  of.  Lucy,  take  one  of  the 
women  with  thee  to  fold  the  clothes  within  the 
chest  and  cover  the  bed  fairly.  Sarah,  see  what 
can  be  done  for  feeding  of  the  soldiers." 

"  I  shall  render  my  help  to  Sarah,"  said  Mis- 
tress Hawley,  steadily;  "thou  canst  attend  affairs 
here." 

"  That  will  I." 

And  sleepless,  haggard,  worn,  they  yet  worked 
passing  their  strength,  under  the  energy,  which 
urged  them  like  a  lash,  of  the  slender  woman  who 
flitted  from  room  to  room,  from  worker  to  worker, 
with  words  of  praise  or  direction,  and  help  from 
her  own  maimed  hands. 

Tapestry  was  rehung  upon  the  walls.  "  We  '11 
make  some  show  of  order  at  once,"  she  vowed. 
Rifled  chests  and  drawers  were  hastily  put  in  fair 
condition,  the  table  in  the  hall  was  spread  with 
battered  plates  and  vessels  ere  the  first  glint  of  a 
soldier's  coat  was  seen  across  the  fields. 

"Faith,"  then  cried  Mistress  Brent  as  she 
caught  Mistress  Katharine  by  the  waist,  "  an  I 
look  as  thou  dost,  we  'd  best  hide  us  in  my  cham- 

10 


146  MISTRESS   BRENT 

her  !  Thy  hair  is  witches'  locks,  thy  face  smutted 
like  a  savage's  ! "  She  caught  her  leaden-framed 
mirror  from  the  wall,  "  Look  on  thyself!  "  she 
commanded. 

Mistress  Hawley  looked  negligently,  then  turned 
it  toward  Margaret.  "And  on  thyself!"  she 
said,  quietly. 

Mistress  Margaret  gazed  wild-eyed ;  her  brown 
locks  were  clay-powdered  and  stuck  with  bramble 
leaves,  one  great  scratch  crossed  her  cheek  from 
mouth  to  ear,  daubs  of  smut  were  on  forehead 
and  cheek  and  neck,  her  gray  eyes  blazed  like 
beacon-fires,  and  her  face  was  drawn  and  set  with 
nervous  tension. 

She  flung  the  mirror  upon  the  bed  and  broke 
into  shrieking,  hysteric  laughter,  that  ran  shrill 
and  nerve-cutting  and  broke  into  wild  sobbing. 

"  Margaret,  Margaret,"  pleaded  Mistress  Hawley, 
"  hush  thee  !  Tut,  to  be  a  baby  !  Would  have  thy 
women  hear  thee  !  What  would  they  do?  Shriek, 
too  !  I  '11  warrant  thou  'It  have  the  whole  house 
about  thy  ears.  Brave  women  the  soldiers  will 
think  us  to  greet  them  thus ! 

"  Here,"  she  drew  her  firmly  to  her  shoulder, 
"  have  thy  cry  out !  "  she  slipped  her  cool,  steady 
hand  along  the  dark,  rough  head ;  "  it  hath  been 
enough,  this  night,  to  try  the  strongest !  and  thou 
hast  been  so  brave,  always  to  the  fore." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  147 

Mistress  Hawley  had  no  mind  of  her  own  steady 
mien,  nor  how  it  had  gone  as  far  toward  hearten- 
ing the  scared  household  as  Mistress  Brent's  spirit 
and  bravery ;  nor  did  she  dream  that  Giles  would 
forever  remember  that  moment  when  the  Indians' 
approach  was  first  seen  and  the  candles  scarce 
lighted  the  barred  and  shuttered  house ;  how  as 
the  women  shrank  affrighted  she  had  taken  the 
linen  and  hot  water  Sarah  brought  ere  the  alarm 
was  given,  and  daintily  and  precisely  polished  each 
plate  and  drinking- vessel  in  the  candle-light.  He 
would  remember  her  always  as  she  stood,  calm, 
sedate,  with  steadfast  look  and  clear  eyes.  Could 
he  have  seen  her  now  as  his  sister  laughed  and 
wept  upon  her  shoulder !  for  suddenly  she  flushed 
from  round,  firm  chin  to  wide,  low  forehead,  flushed 
at  the  sight  of  a  scarlet  coat  flung  upon  the  bed, 
and  remembered  that  but  for  the  quick  bravery  of 
its  wearer  there  'd  be  at  least  one  victim  of  the 
attack  on  St.  Anne's. 

"  There,"  she  comforted,  as  the  sobbings  died 
away,  "  thou  wilt  feel  the  better  for  thy  crying. 
Come,  wash  thy  face  of  these  signs  of  siege  and 
warfare." 

Mistress  Brent  went  obediently  but  listlessly 
about  her  toilet. 

"  Methinks  the  savages  could  have  been  not 
over  a  quarter  of  an  hour  within  the  house,"  she 


148  MISTRESS    BRENT 

complained,  "  and  yet  the  whole  house  looks  as 
though  it  hath  been  wrecked." 

"  Thou  hast  so  much  to  thank  God  for,"  said 
Mistress  Hawley  sternly  at  the  complaining  tone; 
"  thou  hadst  best  fall  upon  thy  knees." 

"  Aye,  I  must  make  my  peace  first  with  myself, 
and  God  afterwards." 

"  Margaret !  " 

"  Thou  knowest  what  I  mean.  I  must  reconcile 
myself  to  this  heavy  loss." 

"  An  thou  takest  not  thy  heart  to  God  first  and 
art  willing  to  receive  this  loss  —  " 

"  Nay,"  pettishly,  "  there  is  work,  work  ahead. 
My  barns  are  burned  down,  my  fields  trampled 
upon." 

Mistress  Hawley  turned  quietly  to  the  door. 
Her  toilet  was  already  finished.  "  Margaret,  I 
shall  go  and  sit  me  down  in  this  fresh  air  and  clear 
my  brain  of  horrors,  and  thank  God  I  am  alive  to 
look  upon  green  trees  and  sparkling  water." 

It  was  a  quiet  Margaret  who  joined  her  there. 
All  her  energy  was  gone  in  that  great  fight  against 
fire  and  disorder.  She  could  scarce  trust  her  eye- 
sight at  the  peaceful  scene.  Mistress  Hawley  had 
strewn  fresh  sand  upon  the  floor.  Foot-mark  nor 
blood-stain  showed  there ;  the  tapestry  hung  straight 
upon  the  wall,  and  rose  and  fell  with  the  fresh 
wind ;  the  board  was  spread,  and  in  the  doorway, 


MISTRESS   BRENT  149 

looking  on  waving  shadow  and  sparkling  river,  as 
though  she  took  her  pleasure  on  any  summer 
morning,  sat  Mistress  Hawley.  Margaret  sat 
down  beside  her,  and  thus  the  men  found  them 
on  their  return. 

"  Zounds ! "  cried  the  governor  in  his  astonish- 
ment, "  we  looked  to  find  wreck  and  smouldering 
ruin ;  the  house  was  ablaze  when  I  last  did  see  it, 
and  we  find  ye  —  " 

Mistress  Brent  rose  stiffly  to  her  feet;  every 
muscle  was  tingling  with  weariness.  "  Cousin,  we 
have  much  to  thank  thee  for !  "  her  voice  shook 
and  hot  tears  trembled  beneath  her  eyelids.  "  But 
there  are  no  words  for  this,"  she  faltered. 

"  Look  not  for  them.  Faith,  the  savages  lighted 
a  beacon  which  did  us  good  purpose ;  we  had  set 
sail  for  Palmer's  Isle  and  the  Susquehannocks, 
hoping  thus  to  strike  a  blow  should  break  their 
strength  ere  they  started.  But  they  had  been 
too  cautious,  their  movements  were  nearer  a  head 
than  we  had  knowledge  of.  The  wind  was  fitful 
and  we  beat  about  from  side  to  side.  We  neared 
St.  Anne's,  and  I  would  fain  have  come  ashore  to 
see  how  ye  fared,  but  I  knew  thy  brother  tarried 
with  thee.  Yet  as  I  thought  on  it  the  captain 
put  his  ship  about,  flames  burst  above  thy  dwell- 
ing, savage  cries  could  be  heard  e'en  there ! 

"  We   had   found   the   Indian   sooner   than   we 


150  MISTRESS   BRENT 

thought,"  he  went  on  glibly;  his  face  was  alight 
with  the  joy  of  action  and  success,  his  tongue 
as  ready  as  Mistress  Margaret's.  "Zounds!  we 
gave  them  a  chase.  There  are  strange  fruitage  in 
thy  fields;"  he  laughed,  but  stopped  abruptly  at 
Mistress  Brent's  shudder. 

As  for  Giles,  he  had  no  sooner  caught  sight  of 
the  women  at  the  door  than  he  had  hastened 
within.  He  was  prinking  at  his  toilet  and  be- 
moaning his  stained  and  rumpled  coat,  as  though 
there  had  been  never  other  and  wilder  things,  to 
think  on,  or  better  for  the  doing  than  the  wear- 
ing of  a  fancy  collar.  He  went  back  to  his  old 
flippant  speech  with  Mistress  Hawley.  Were 
there  warmer  thoughts  or  more  daring  hopes 
deep  in  his  heart,  he  kept  them  well  to  himself, 
and  was  but  the  careless  man  of  fashion  even 
until  the  day  when  the  governor's  pinnace  set  sail 
for  the  Susquehannocks,  and  he  himself  followed 
for  the  commandery  of  Kent  and  his  lonely  home 
at  South  Fort  Manor. 

But  now  the  governor  was  as  a  man  enlivened 
with  newly  drunken  wine.  He  had  rescued  St. 
Anne's,  he  had  put  the  savages  to  awful  rout,  — 
the  tale  of  it  would  be  told  in  the  Indian  villages 
for  many  a  day,  and  the  plantations  of  Mary- 
land, near  and  far,  scattered  on  bay  shore  or 
creek  lands  would  rest  secure. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  151 

He  talked  confident  and  strong,  and  waxed 
ever  merrier;  but  Mistress  Brent  grew  more  and 
more  quiet,  her  white  face  and  drooping  figure 
were  but  like  the  ghost  of  the  piquant  mistress 
of  St.  Anne's.  The  governor  set  it  down  to  sheer 
terror  of  the  danger  which  had  beset  her. 

"  Cousin,"  he  queried,  when  the  work  of  that 
arduous  day  was  done,  the  dead  bodies  of  the 
Indians  dragged  to  decent  burial,  the  stampeded 
cattle  gathered  together,  and  a  wide  search  for 
lurking  savages  made  through  field  and  forest, 
"  Cousin  Margaret,  art  heart-sick  and  frightened 
out  of  thy  love  of  St.  Anne's?" 

Mistress  Margaret  shook  her  head. 

"What  of  thy  house  at  St.  Mary's?  Will  not 
The  Sisters'  Freehold  be  thy  biding-place  this 
autumn-tide?" 

"  I  know  not,"  she  answered,  languidly. 

"  Hast  not  enow  —  " 

"  Dost  think  'tis  over-dangerous?"  she  asked,  as 
carelessly  as  though  she  spoke  of  things  overseas. 

"  Dangerous !  "  the  governor's  blue  eyes  fairly 
blazed,  but  he  held  himself  in  check  and  went  on 
quietly. 

"  An  it  comes  to  danger,  sooth,  thou  wert  never 
so  safe." 

"  Now  thou  mockest  me !  "  She  clenched  her 
hands  upon  her  knee. 


152  MISTRESS    BRENT 

The  governor  moved  impatiently.  "  There 
hath  ever  been  this  danger,"  he  forced  himself  to 
say ;  "  that  is  why  I  did  dissuade  thee  from  the 
first.  With  all  our  friendship  for  the  savages, 
there  was  ever  this  fear  of  treachery,  nor  could 
we  guess  in  such  case  where  the  blow  would  fall. 
The  richness  of  thy  dwelling,  the  easy  conquest 
they  looked  on,  brought  them  first  here.  They 
thought  to  make  swift  work,  and  then  —  but  why 
should  I  dwell  on  such  horrors.  They  will  feel, 
now,  they  dare  not  strike  a  blow  'gainst  any. 
When  the  men  of  St.  Mary's,  already  flushed  with 
victory,  ravage  their  villages,  they  '11  be  so  broken, 
I  '11  warrant  me  they  breed  no  further  foments. 
And  with  the  Susquehannocks  broken,  under 
watch,  as  I  purpose  henceforth  to  keep  them, 
there  '11  be  no  future  trouble  with  the  Indian. 
And  we  must  bring  them,"  he  went  on  mus- 
ingly, "  once  more  to  our  friendship,  else  how 
can  they  learn  of  us  the  great  truth  we  set  out 
to  teach  them.  Nay,  trust  me,"  he  ended, 
proudly ;  "  thou  wast  never  more  secure.  The 
cloud,  like  a  storm  whose  mutterings  I  long  have 
feared,  hath  broken  and  rolled  over  and  is  gone." 

"Then,  may  — "  as  the  governor  looked  again, 
impatient  at  her  speech.  "I  know  nothing — I 
have  no  purpose,"  she  broke  out  passionately. 
"  All  is  ruined  about  me." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  153 

They  were  walking  under  the  oaks  in  the  long 
slanting  shadows  of  late  eventide.  The  governor 
rested  his  hand  lightly  upon  her  shoulder  and 
turned  her  toward  her  dwelling;  the  oak  branches 
were  thick  about  the  blackened  roof  and  veiled 
the  ruin  there. 

"  See  thou  art  man  enow  —  woman  enow,  an 
thou  wilt,  to  know  how  soon  that  loss  is  plenished ; 
and  for  thy  cabins  and  stables,  there  are  straight 
trees  in  the  woodland  and  men  to  do  thy  bid- 
ding. Thou  hast  lost  few  cattle  and  not  one  of 
thy  men." 

"  'T  is  the  second  sermon  on  thankfulness  I  've 
had  read  me  this  day.  I  know  not  if  I  enjoy  it. 
Methinks  I  must  seem  pagan  to  my  friends  to  be 
so  harrowed." 

"  And  so  thou  art  an  thou  art  not  on  thy  knees 
this  night  to  our  blessed  Mary." 

"  My  other  preacher  bade  me  pray  to  God,"  she 
answered,  petulantly;  then,  as  if  stricken  by  the 
horror  in  his  face,  "  Come,  thou  knowest  I  mean 
no  blasphemy.  My  soul  will  turn  to  God,  but 
now  it  is  faint  and  numbed  within  me,  as  is  my 
body,"  she  added,  plaintively.  "Let  us  rest 
here."  She  sat  down  at  the  top  of  the  stairway 
leading  to  the  beach.  "  Talk  of  lighter  things  !  " 

But  great  things  were  in  the  governor's  mind 
that  day;  there  was  no  light  banter  on  his  tongue. 


154  MISTRESS    BRENT 

"  I  could  not  tell,"  she  went  on ;.  and  if  the 
governor's  humor  was  unusual,  so,  in  truth,  was 
Mistress  Margaret's.  He  was  used  to  seeing  her 
moody,  fitful,  gay,  scornful,  but  never  so  wholly 
sad.  "  I  could  not  tell  thee  how  I  have  learned 
to  love  this  resting-place  on  the  stair."  She  ran 
her  hand,  though  it  was  bandaged  for  its  blister- 
ings,  caressingly  over  the  grass  near  her.  "  Here 
when  I  am  restless  or  sad  or  wearied,  and  the 
mood  comes  oftener  than  thou  thinkest,  I  sit 
and  watch  the  long,  rolling  waves  when  the  tide 
is  far  out  as  now.  See  how  they  break  in  curling 
foam  upon  the  shallows !  Or  watch  the  sea-fowl, 
how  thick  the  air  is  with  them  now;  duck  and 
gull  and  fish-hawk !  how  they  all  come  closer 
and  closer  homeward  as  the  night  falls !  how 
many  miles  they  may  have  been  ere  sunrise,  yet 
their  unerring  flight  brings  them  again  to  nest  of 
reeds  or  clay !  Here,  if  ever  a  sail  glides  by,  one 
sees  it,  and  the  singing  of  the  wind  in  the  trees  or 
the  murmur  of  the  waves  low  or  loud  — " 

"  Aye,  but  idle  dreams  will  come  to  all ;  "  and 
the  governor  spoke  knowingly.  His  heart  was 
full  of  dreamings,  whether  they  were  idle  he 
knew  not.  But  on  the  morrow  he  set  sail  for 
Kent  and  the  river  of  the  north. 


X 


WHEN  the  governor  again  was  face  to 
face  with  Mistress  Brent  it  was  he 
who  needed  comfort. 

"Never  had  the  plantation  seemed  so  secure," 
he  had  told  her,  and  yet  others  saw  it  in  not  such 
a  light.  Dread  talks  of  the  attack  on  St.  Anne's 
had  run  like  fire  from  manor  to  farm  to  the 
farthest  settlement.  Men  who  hitherto  had 
been  courageous  were  panic-stricken;  the  refuge- 
houses  of  each  hundred  were  crowded,  and  above 
all  St.  Mary's  was  filled  beyond  the  housing  of 
the  people.  Corn  and  tobacco,  well-nigh  saved, 
dried  and  withered  or  rotted  in  the  field ;  cattle, 
which  were  hardest  of  all  the  settlers'  needs  to 
procure  and  were  most  carefully  cherished,  were 
left  astray ;  fever  and  ague,  "  the  prevailing 
sickness,"  were  rife  in  the  overcrowded  town; 
men  loitered  about  the  streets,  under  the  shade 
of  the  great  mulberry,  in  the  hot  autumn  days, 
around  the  tables  of  the  coffee-house  in  the 
evenings ;  tales  were  told  daily  which  grew  big- 
ger for  each  telling. 


156  MISTRESS   BRENT 

Upon  the  men  themselves  was  a  very  witchery 
of  fear  and,  added  to  that,  a  growing  spirit  of 
dissatisfaction. 

Calvert,  after  his  expedition  up  "the  great 
river  and  the  defeat  of  the  Indian  there,  tarried 
too  long  in  Kent.  He  knew  naught  of  the  foment 
in  the  province,  and  Captain  Brent  besought  his 
aid  in  righting  many  matters  of  dispute  in  Kent 
Isle,  where  the  men  were  never  friendly  to  my 
Lord  Proprietor,  and  would  give  naught  but  the 
slightest  observance  to  his  government,  but  beset 
the  path  of  the  commander  with  thorns. 

Then,  matters  of  the  isle  adjusted,  the  Indian 
signally  defeated,  the  governor,  his  spirits  mount- 
ing high,  sailed  homeward  to  come  upon  this 
foment  in  St.  Mary's,  and  to  find  there  a  ship 
newly  come  from  England  and  bearing  letters 
from  his  brother.  In  England  subjects  strove 
against  their  king,  and  strove  successfully;  the 
king  was  a  refugee  from  London;  order  and 
rule  were  at  an  end.  The  Lord  Baltimore  com- 
manded his  brother  to  join  him  at  once,  so  that 
together  they  might  make  a  better  fight  for  their 
province,  which  else  might  be  lost  them  in  the 
dire  upheaval. 

In  vain  Calvert  strove  with  the  people  in  the 
town  and  assured  them  the  savages  were  never 
to  be  so  little  feared ;  to  them  the  forest  swarmed 


MISTRESS   BRENT  157 

with  Indians.  The  ship  waited  his  departure.  In 
his  emergency  he  sought  the  Mistress  of  St. 
Anne's. 

"  Giles  must  leave  his  commandery  of  Kent  to 
shift  for  itself  and  serve  as  lieutenant-governor 
whilst  I  be  gone,"  he  told  her  after  stating  the 
heart-sickening  news.  "  And  thou,  I  trust  thou 
wilt  tarry  with  him  at  St.  Mary's.  Thou  hast 
strong  influence  with  the  people,  thy  bright  face 
will  be  more  heartening  to  them  than  many 
words  which  I  could  say;  and  if  ye  will  keep  a 
hospitable  house  at  my  poor  dwelling,  make 
whatever  cheer  seems  best  to  enliven  and  en- 
courage the  people  —  " 

"  Thou  givest  me  a  pleasant  task." 

"  'T  is  what  the  people  need.  They  have  grown 
morbid,  and  will  eat  out  their  hearts  with  useless 
dissatisfaction.  Such  feeling  will  spread  like  a 
very  canker  at  the  root  of  our  colony.  They 
need  to  be  made  confident  once  more." 

"  Methinks  I  am  but  a  poor  teacher." 

"  Thy  ensample  hath  been  a  benefit  to  the 
colony.  The  bravery  with  which  thou,  who 
actually  did  stand  the  blow,  hast  met  it,  when 
thou  canst  tell  them." 

"  Of  that  night  of  horrors !  " 

The  governor  turned  his  gray  eyes  on  her,  and 
Mistress  Brent  noticed  how  deep  the  furrow  had 


158  MISTRESS    BRENT 

grown  in  his  high  forehead  and  how  heavy  the 
lines  were  graved  about  his  mouth. 

"  I  am  ever  trifling,"  she  said  penitently,  "  even 
with  such  topics." 

"  Ye  will  heed  my  request." 

Mistress  Brent  grew  as  serious  as  she  had 
looked  on  first  hearing  the  news  the  governor 
came  to  bring. 

"  That  —  I  must  think  on  it.     How  soon  ?  " 

"  I  but  wait  to  leave  full  instructions  with 
Giles.  I  have  already  despatched  my  pinnace 
for  him,  he  will  be  at  St.  Mary's  by  the  morrow's 
eve." 

"And  thou  canst  tarry  here  till  then?  " 

"  Methinks  I  am  needed  each  hour  at  St. 
Mary's." 

"  Aye,  but  I  have  my  own  poor  affairs  to  think 
on ;  there  are  troublous  questions.  Belike  St. 
Anne's  can  ill  spare  me." 

"  Cousin,  't  is  bare  six  weeks  since  I  did  leave 
thee  with  blackened  ruins  about  thee ;  where  now 
is  any  trace?" 

"  Thou  hast  not  looked  into  it.  A  good  fourth 
of  my  tobacco  crop  is  ruined,  trampled  by  the 
soldiery;  nay,  I  begrudge  it  not;  the  cabins  are 
but  lightly  built  and  thatched  for  roofing." 

"  Tut !  thou  art  never  satisfied." 

"I   will   send    Mistress    Hawley   to    talk   with 


MISTRESS   BRENT  159 

thee,"  cried  Margaret,  half  offended.  "An  I 
think  kindly  on  the  plan,"  she  added,  relenting 
at  the  troubled  look  of  Calvert's  face,  "I  first 
must  see  Jock." 

"  Jock,"  grumbled  the  governor  with  cousinly 
freedom,  "  as  if  he  could  not  take  charge  for 
thee;  then  it  would  be  as  it  should  have  been 
at  first,  thou  wouldst  dwell  in  thy  house  at  The 
Sisters'  Freehold  and  leave  him  here." 

But  Margaret  only  smiled  shrewdly  as  she 
went.  Jock  was  far  afield,  it  would  be  hours  ere 
he  would  be  at  the  house;  her  impatient  humor, 
the  idea  once  started,  would  not  brook  delay. 
Truly  St.  Anne's,  with  Mistress  Hawley  gone  and 
the  governor  in  England,  with  no  pleasant  visits 
to  relieve  the  tedium  of  the  winter,  no  careful 
watchfulness  over  her  welfare,  would  be  but 
tedious,  mayhap  worse.  Her  nerves  were  yet 
shaken  with  the  horrors  she  had  seen. 

And  then  the  appeal  he  had  made  her.  It 
flattered  the  very  core  of  her  pride  that  she  was 
needed  at  the  governor's  house,  amongst  the 
people,  to  be  the  head  and  front  of  affairs: 
she  tilted  her  chin  and  threw  back  her  head,  her 
eyes  flashing.  She  leaned  forward  and  stroked 
Brown  Bess's  mane  thoughtfully;  her  mare  had 
been  hastily  saddled,  and  she  had  gone  to  seek 
Jock.  The  dried  corn-tops  in  the  field  by  which 


160  MISTRESS   BRENT 

she  rode  swayed  and  rattled  as  the  light  winds 
shook  them,  and  the  air  was  full  of  the  smell  of 
them  and  the  ripening  corn  and  the  fragrant 
breath  of  the  pines  in  the  woodland  near;  over- 
head the  crows  whirled  and  circled,  and  cut 
sharp  silhouettes  against  the  deep  blue  of  the 
sky.  A  deer  peeped  shyly  through  the  scarlet 
sumac  leaves  and  bounded  away,  the  squirrels 
leaped  in  the  bronzing  oaks,  and  the  yellow 
leaves  of  chestnut  and  walnut  fell  sifting  slowly 
down.  It  was  the  turning  of  the  leaf  time,  and 
every  flitting  flash  of  forest  life  would  have  had 
its  meaning  and  its  delight  for  Mistress  Brent  on 
any  other  morn  she  was  abroad,  but  now  her 
mind  was  filled  with  new  fancies. 

Truth,  it  would  be  well  to  dwell  for  a  time 
in  the  midst  of  things.  She  was  aweary  of 
solitude. 

There  was  Jock.  The  men  and  women,  work- 
ing alike  in  the  field,  were  stripping  the  corn  from 
the  stacks,  throwing  the  yellow  ears  in  heaps  in 
the  furrows.  It  was  a  pleasant  harvest  picture, 
for  men  and  maids  fared  well  at  St.  Anne's  and 
worked  willingly;  and  Jock,  though  he  looked 
soldier  enough  with  the  great  blunderbuss  slung 
at  his  back,  carried  it  but  because  some  great 
beast  might  come  crashing  out  of  the  forest. 

He  had  seen  the  glint  of  Mistress  Margaret's 


MISTRESS    BRENT  161 

riding-skirt  and  the  sleek  side  of  Brown  Bess,  and 
knew  she  sought  him.  He  came  up  to  her  com- 
placently enough,  for  he  was  proud  of  the  men's 
prowess  and  work  that  autumn  and  boasted  much 
of  what  they  had  done,  and  how,  in  spite  of  all, 
their  work  had  gone  forward. 

"  The  maize  harvest  is  bounteous,"  he  said,  as 
he  came  up  to  her ;  "  what  we  have  lost  with  the 
tobacco  crop  that  will  well  repay." 

"  Thine  old  hobby,  Jock." 

Jock,  slow  of  speech,  had  no  answer,  and 
Mistress  Brent  plunged  at  once  into  talk  of  the 
governor's  visit,  his  wishes,  the  affairs  of  the 
manor.  Could  he  tend  them?  And  then  she 
wondered  at  the  look  on  his  stolid  face,  half 
hesitating,  half  ashamed. 

"What  ails  thee,  man?"  she  questioned  sharply. 
Jock  fingered  his  skin  cap  nervously. 

"  We  have  been  nigh  upon  four  years  at  St. 
Anne's,"  he  began,  clearing  his  throat  huskily, 
"  and  five  in  Maryland." 

"  Thou  art  a  good  reckoner,"  said  Mistress 
Brent,  lightly. 

"  Five  years  in  the  province,"  went  on  Jock, 
gathering  courage  as  he  spoke. 

"  And  what  if  ye  have?  " 

"  Ye  know  the  terms  on  which  I  sailed  hither?" 
he  questioned,  sturdily. 


162  MISTRESS   BRENT 

Mistress  Brent  sat  erect  in  her  saddle,  a  shiver 
of  apprehension  running  through  her. 

"  Truly,"  she  said,  slowly,  "  thou  hast  well  nigh 
served  thy  term." 

"  'T  is  five  years."  Jock  beat  again  upon  the 
refrain  which  had  been  in  his  every  thought  for 
many  a  day. 

"  And  ye  would  be  free?  Is  that  what  ye  'd  say? 
The  life  grows  tedious?"  she  questioned,  passion- 
ately; "  ye  'd  have  your  freedom-due,  and  begone? 
Mayhap  ye  '11  petition  the  governor  for  a  hun- 
dred acres  of  good  land  near  the  Indian ;  't  will  be 
had  now  for  the  asking,  I  '11  warrant  me,  mayhap 
already  cleared;  land  goes  a-begging,  and  the 
farmers  are  at  St.  Mary's." 

Jock's  square,  honest  face  reddened  from  the 
deep-cut  dimple  in  his  chin,  which  softened  his 
rugged  look  absurdly,  to  the  straw-colored  thatch 
of  hair,  and  the  stutter  he  had  conquered  long  ago, 
save  in  moments  of  deepest  feeling,  broke  his 
speech. 

"  Me-me-methought  —  " 

"  Tut,  tut !  take  time,  man,  speak  slow."  Mis- 
tress Brent's  eyes  were  flashing  and  her  whole 
heart  angered;  she  was  face  to  face  with  the 
problem  she  knew  well  she  had  to  meet  in  the 
provinces  and  had  planned  for  vigorously,  and 
yet  it  took  her  unawares;  to  have  the  servants 


MISTRESS   BRENT  163 

she  had  just  trained  for  good  service  demanding 
their  freedom-due,  setting  up  next  their  plea  of 
equality. 

"  Jock,  I  thought  ye  'd  serve  me  more  faithful 
than  the  rest ;  my  father  —  " 

"Aye,  I  fought  under  him  in  Flanders,  and 
followed  him  home  and  stayed  with  him  'til  his 
death." 

"  Methought  I  had  hit  upon  the  staunchest  of 
our  following  when  I  found  thee  willing  to  follow 
me  across  seas,  thee  and  Sarah."  She  was  look- 
ing, musing  gravely,  down  the  dim  vista  of  the 
forest  by  her  side,  where  the  sun  sent  long  shafts 
like  powdered  gold-dust  sifting  through  the  tree- 
trunks,  and  she  saw  not  that  Jock  grew  more  fiery 
red,  and  then,  old  soldier  that  he  was,  braced  him- 
self firmly  and  honestly. 

"Why  should  I  not  serve  ye?  "  he  questioned. 

"  Why,  indeed?  "  Mistress  Brent's  red  lip  curled 
bitterly. 

"  Mistress  Margaret,  ye  are  angered  at  me,"  he 
began,  steadily ;  "  I  had  thought  to  have  speech  of 
ye  more  quietly,  but  now  —  I  have  no  purpose  to 
take  up  lands." 

"  Then  why  speak  of  thy  freedom?  " 

"  Because  it  is  my  freedom,  and  because  it  is 
my  due.  I  have  served  thee  well,  and  will  yet," 
he  said  after  a  short  silence.  For  after  her  first 


164  MISTRESS   BRENT 

hot  anger  Mistress  Brent's  thoughts  were  riot- 
ing within.  Here  was  an  end  of  all  her  plans, 
forsooth. 

"  Just  as  ye  do  now  ?  "  she  questioned,  eagerly. 

"  Just  as  now,  save  for  the  wage." 

"  As  if  I  'd  grudge  it  thee !  Jock,  I  need  thee ; 
thou  knowest  it !  An  ever  ye  purpose  leaving  St. 
Anne's,  take  some  younger  man,  train  him  in 
thy  ways;  ye  will  never  be  so  well  entreated 
elsewhere.  What  do  ye  need?" 

"  Naught  —  yet  —  "  stammered  Jock. 

"Then  ye  '11  bide  on  at  St.  Anne's?  " 

"  I  had  no  other  thought." 

"And  thy  freedom-due?  " 

"  If  ye  '11  but  make  a  note  of  it  as  owing  me. 
I  have  no  need  as  yet,  but,  mayhap  —  " 

Mistress  Margaret  plucked  a  bit  of  the  scarlet 
five-leaved  ivy  that  climbed  near  her  and  smoothed 
it  thoughtfully. 

She  knew  the  terms  of  indenture  well,  and  she 
had  purposed,  when  the  terms  should  first  be  past, 
to  make  a  ceremony  of  it,  a  feasting  for  the 
manor;  but  Jock,  she  had  thought  of  him  always 
as  part  of  St.  Anne's  and  her  own  life  there. 
She  thought  of  it  all  now  quickly;  she  should 
have  foreseen  this,  and  not  have  been  so  taken 
unawares. 

"  Jock,"  she  said  at  last,  "  we  '11  fix  thy  wage. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  165 

But  then  — "  She  went  on  talking  of  the  affairs 
of  St.  Anne's  to  him,  the  ship  she  had  engaged 
for  carrying  her  tobacco  to  London,  what  time  it 
might  be  due,  adjusting  her  plans  once  more  for 
the  leaving  of  her  manor.  "  But  I  shall  come  again 
and  again,  and  ye  will  come  to  St.  Mary's.  Faith, 
I  talk  as  if  I  were  leaving  behind  my  will  and 
testament.  The  men  and  maids  will  tarry  here, 
save  Sarah." 

And  now  Jock's  old  confusion  came  back  a 
hundred-fold. 

"  Sa-Sa-Sarah,"  he  stammered ;  "  Sa-Sarah  is 
a  ra-rare  housekeeper." 

"  And  a  rare  maid,"  said  Mistress  Brent,  dryly. 

"  Lu-Lucy  serves  ye  well." 

"  Zounds,  man,  and  ye  would  rule  my  house- 
hold—" 

"  Sarah  is  over  thirty-five. 

Mistress  Margaret  looked  at  him  with  eyes 
big  with  astonishment.  "  What  folly  fills  thy 
brain?  " 

"  Mistress  Margaret,"  pleaded  Jock,  "  we  'd 
thought  to  ask  ye  when  things  were  more  easy 
like." 

"  Say  thy  say,  now  and  here  !  " 

"  I  'd  been  thy  father's  man ;  I  'd  ne'er  seen 
much  o'  her ;  I  'd,  I  'd  fain  mar-marry  her," 
he  stuttered,  angered  alike  at  his  own  embar- 


i66  MISTRESS  BRENT 

rassment  and  the  little  look  of  scorn  on  his 
mistress's  face. 

"  Mercy  o'  God !  marry  her,  Sarah,  and  I," 
Mistress  Margaret  fair  choked  with  her  own  as- 
tonishment. "  Marry  her  !  "  she  blazed ;  "  I  trow 
matrimony  blows  like  a  blast  about  me.  I  no 
sooner  put  foot  within  the  province  than  that  slip 
o'  a  sister  o'  mine  must  wed.  Look  at  her  now ! 
Faith,  she  dare  not  say  she  owned  her  soul !  I 
must  be  petitioned  by  half  the  bachelors  within 
the  settlement." 

Mistress  Brent  reddened  with  embarrassment. 
She  had  meant  not  to  blurt  such  confidences. 

"  Here 's  Giles,"  she  went  on  quickly,  to  hide 
her  own  confusion,  "  head  over  heels  in  love 
with  one  who  will  not  turn  her  head  for  him." 
Jock  listened  agape,  such  news  of  the  captain  was 
news  indeed.  "  And  I  '11  warrant  me  there  is 
courting  enow  with  the  men  and  maids,  an  ye 
set  them  ensample." 

Jock  grinned.  The  talk  was  spicy,  and  would 
be  food  for  his  slow  thought  for  many  a  day. 
"  I  Ve  been  busy,"  he  muttered. 

"  About  thy  own  courting.     What  says  Sarah?  " 

"She,  she'd  be  willing,  methinks." 

"  Well,  well,  I  must  e'en  use  myself  to  Lucy. 
But  I  '11  miss  her  sorely ;  Sarah  hath  mothered 
me." 


MISTRESS    BRENT  167 

"  There  's  naught  I  could  do,  an  I  would,  would 
tear  her  from  ye.  She'll  quarrel  rarely  to  'com- 
pany thee." 

"Then  —  " 

"  I  think  I  can  persuade  her,"  said  Sarah's  lover, 
dryly;  and  at  his  tone  and  stolid  look  Mistress 
Margaret  threw  back  her  head  and  laughed 
merrily. 

"  I  '11  have  no  undue  suasion,"  she  declared. 
But  Jock  was  meditating  a  last,  big  shot. 

"  Truth,"  he  declared,  going  to  the  very  heart 
of  the  matter  as  those  who  say  but  little  often  do, 
"  methinks  't  would  be  well  if  ye  yourself  would 
be  thinking  on  matrimony  now.  There  's  one  as 
would  kiss  your  very  footsteps." 

"  Peace  !  "  commanded  Margaret,  shortly.  "  I  '11 
have  none  o'  it,  but  go  my  own  gait,"  she  flared  as 
she  whirled  Brown  Bess  about  and  went  galloping 
homeward. 

"  A  pretty  tempest  ye  have  brewed  in  my  own 
household,"  she  flashed  as  she  joined  Mistress 
Hawley  and  the  governor  in  the  hall.  "Nay, 
look  not  so  innocent.  I'll  warrant  me  ye  had 
your  suspicions  long  ago." 

"  Suspicions?  what  has  gone  wrong,  or  is  it 
right?  Tis  hard  to  read  thy  face,  thou  lookest 
half  merry  and  half  vexed." 

"  Thou  art  a  rare  interpreter  of  one's  looks." 


i68  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"If  my  fair  cousin  will  pardon  me,  'tis  one  of 
the  few  gifts  I  pride  myself  on  possessing." 

"Then,  perhaps  thou  canst  go  deeper  yet  and 
tell  me  the  cause  of  it" 

"  'T  is  something  of  thy  household  affairs ;  so 
much  thyself  hath  told.  It  crosses  thy  purpose, 
and  yet  amuses  thee.  'Tis  not  so  serious,  yet 
unlocked  for.  'Tis  something  what  Jock  hath 
told  thee." 

"  Gramercy !  thou  hast  nigh  hit  the  bull's  eye. 
Listen !  "  She  began  with  excellent  mimicry  of 
Jock's  stuttering  confusion,  a  mimicry  so  mirthful, 
the  governor  laughed  long  and  heartily,  and  Mis- 
tress Hawley  must  wipe  the  tears  from  her  lashes ; 
and  Margaret,  heeding  naught  for  the  moment  but 
their  merriment,  went  on  to  the  last  parting  advice 
of  her  friendly  servitor. 

At  which  the  governor  grew  suddenly  serious. 
"  A  wise  fellow,"  he  declared ;  "  very  wise  and 
most  excellent  advice." 

"  Advice,"  said  Margaret,  saucily,  "  is  never  to 
be  followed.  One  does  the  opposite  to  it  alway, 
and  follows  one's  own  whim." 

"  Pray  God  the  whim  be  wise  !  "  cried  the  gov- 
ernor, a  twinkle  in  his  eyes. 

"  If 't  is  a  woman's,  't  is  always  wise." 

"  In  her  own  sight." 

"  And  others'." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  169 

"  But  should  her  whim  cross  that  of  others?  " 

"  Ah,  well,  a  whim 's  a  whim,  and  soon  forgot." 

To  which  the  governor  said  but  a  low,  devout 
"  Please  God." 

"  I  '11  find  Sarah,"  cried  Mistress  Margaret, 
springing  to  her  feet.  "  I  '11  spring  this  speech  of 
Jock's  full  on  her." 

"Margaret,"  pleaded  Mistress  Hawley,  "the 
poor  creature,  'twill  so  distress  her." 

"  Distress !  " 

"  Thou  knowest  how  she  loves  thee.  I  wonder 
she  had  any  room  for  thinking  on  Jock.  That 
thou  shouldst  taunt  her ;  come,  talk  of  thy  winter 
in  St.  Mary's;  the  governor  hath  done  us  a  ser- 
vice. Think  what  'twill  be  to  have  thee  with 
us  again ;  there 's  not  a  child  will  not  joy  to 
see  thee." 

"  They  have  forgot  me  long  ago." 

"That  they  have  not,  I  trow,"  declared  the 
governor;  "I  am  ever  loaded  with  messages  to 
Mistress  Margaret." 

"  Thy  load  must  grow  heavy ;  thou  hast  never 
delivered  them." 

The  governor  laughed.  "  I  pray  thee  mercy !  " 
he  cried.  The  light  banter  was  good  to  his  heavy 
soul ;  he  believed  it  was  that  which  rested  him 
most  whenever  he  came  to  St.  Anne's ;  whatever 
cares  might  weigh  on  him  he  could  talk  of  and 


170  MISTRESS   BRENT 

find  his  cousin  a  thoughtful  listener,  a  wise  adviser, 
and  then  the  lighter  mood  which  often  came  upon 
her,  the  bitter,  scathing  speeches  and  scornful 
flauntings  and  gay  hospitality. 

"Mercy,  mercy !  when  was  it  thine?  When  ye 
knew  me  lonely,  pining?" 

"  Thou  hast  ever  looked  it  so  plainly." 

"I  should  sit  thus."  Mistress  Brent  held  her- 
self primly  erect  and  drew  down  the  corners  of 
her  red  mouth  forlornly. 

"Thou  art  the  pattern  of  a  love-lorn  maid," 
laughed  Mistress  Hawley. 

"  Love-lorn  !     Mad  with  solitude,  ye  mean." 

"  We  '11  cure  that  this  winter.  Three-fourths  of 
the  colonists  are  crowded  in  the  town." 

"  Pouf !   we  '11  send  them  'bout  their  business." 

"  Would  God  ye  could." 

" That  will  be  our  affair;  we'll  lord  it  so  well, 
Giles  and  I,  thou  wilt  not  know  us  on  thy 
return." 

"'Twill  suit  thee,  Madge,"  the  governor  stam- 
mered, shocked  at  his  slip  o'  the  tongue ;  "  't  will 
suit  thee  to  flout  it  o'er  all." 

"  Flout !  ye  'd  think,  in  sooth,  I  had  set  up  for 
a  court  beauty." 

"  There 's  none  at  court  so  beautiful." 

"  An  ye  commence  to  make  such  flattering 
speeches,  I  must  pray  ye  cease.  Didst  ever  hear 


MISTRESS   BRENT  171 

such  nonsense,  Katharine?  "  But  Mistress  Hawley 
was  only  smiling  in  placid  enjoyment  of  the 
badinage. 

"  An  ye  are  both  against  me,  I  '11  leave  ye." 

"  What  a  will-o'-the-wisp  ye  are,"  cried  Mistress 
Hawley,  as  she  caught  her  ere  she  had  risen. 
"  Twice  hast  thou  tried  to  leave  us ;  rest  ye,  and 
pray  be  sensible." 

"  Aye,  that 's  for  thee,"  flashed  Margaret. 

"  But  come,  the  governor  sails  for  England ; 
there  must  be  letters,  messages." 

"  Truth,  I  had  forgot." 

"Ye  will  thank  my  lord  most  heartily  for  the 
fruit-trees  he  did  send  me  and  the  rose-slips,"  said 
Mistress  Hawley,  gravely. 

"  I  told  thee  thy  gift  would  not  be  forgot,"  cried 
Margaret ;  "  he  but  sought  to  make  return  for  thy 
cheeses." 

"Twas  most  kindly  thought  on.  I  brought 
some  of  my  own  rose-cuttings  to  Sarah." 

"  She  hath  been  pothering  about  them  ever 
since.  It  grieves  her  that  the  lawn  is  too  shaded 
for  rose-growing,  but  the  south  side  of  the  house 
suits  them  fairly— 'tis  there  she  has  planted 
them." 

But  when  they  fell  to  talk  of  England  and  my 
Lord  Baltimore,  Calvert  was  grave.  He  looked 
far  deeper  than  either  woman  could  fathom,  and 


172  MISTRESS   BRENT 

knew  the  terrible  war  there,  was  a  thing  no  man 
could  see  the  end  of,  an  upheaval  which  might 
tear  to  shreds  the  fabric  of  his  brother's  plannings 
and  his  work,  which  might  oust  them  from  Mary- 
land and  the  New  World.  And  yet  he  must  leave 
a  quaking  colony,  shaken  to  its  depths,  behind 
him. 


XI 


HURRY  as  she  might,  Leonard  Calvert 
had  sailed  for  England  and  Giles  was 
established  in  his  house  at  St.  Mary's 
ere  Mistress  Brent  could  reach  the  town.  There 
was  one  duty  at  St.  Anne's  she  would  perform 
punctiliously.  From  the  very  planting  of  the 
province  the  indentured  servants  had  some  cause 
of  plaint ;  many  masters  were  harsh  in  their  treat- 
ment, kept  them  beyond  their  bonded  time,  gave 
them  their  freedom-due  grudgingly,  so  that  amongst 
the  first  laws  of  the  Assembly  were  those  requiring 
the  master  to  deal  faithfully  with  them,  provide 
good  clothes  and  housings  and  food,  and  see  they 
held  not  their  servants  beyond  their  proper  length 
of  service. 

But  first  there  must  be  some  teasing  of  Sarah : 
it  could  not  be  withstood.  From  the  moment 
when  Jock  had  told  her  of  her  mistress's  consent 
that  they  should  bide  the  winter  at  St.  Anne's, 
Sarah  had  been  in  a  tremor  of  bashfulness  and  joy 
and  regret,  which  became  her  stout  figure  and 
round,  rosy  face  but  illy. 


174  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"  Faith,  Sarah,  I  '11  warrant  me  you  have  been 
crying;  such  red  lids  become  you  not.  What  will 
Jock  say?"  rallied  Mistress  Margaret  the  next 
morn. 

"Jock!"  sniffed  Sarah. 

"  Aye ;  methought  there  was  some  meaning  in 
thy  talk  of  lovers  and  quick  weddings  those  first 
days  in  the  province." 

"  Mistress  Margaret,"  protested  Sarah,  tearfully. 

"  I  told  thee  then  what  thoughts  were  swarming 
under  thy  gray  thatch.  Beshrew  me,  though,  I 
knew  not  already  —  " 

"Tis  just  since  all  these  dreadful  times,"  pro- 
tested Sarah,  tearfully,  "Jock  said  a  word  to 
me." 

"  No  sheep-eyes,  hey  ?  " 

"I  vow.  An  he  did  I'd  tear  them  out  o'  his 
head,"  declared  Sarah,  stoutly. 

"  Gramercy !  " 

"He  just  come  to  me  after  all  these  awful 
horrors,  and  he  says  —  he  says  'taint  no  place  for 
women  to  bide  'long  o'  themselves  here ;  and  I 
says  —  I  says  —  the  whole  upshot  was  he  asked 
me  to  bide  'long  o'  him." 

"  A  rare  and  tender  wooing." 

"  Jock  is  a  good  man." 

"  None  better." 

Sarah  turned  away,  hurt  at  her  mistress's  light 


MISTRESS   BRENT  175 

scorn,  but  Mistress  Brent  came  running  behind 
her. 

"  Sarah,  Sarah !  "  she  flung  her  arms  about  her, 
"  I  have  angered  thee;  I  thought  not  —  " 

But  Sarah  had  folded  her  to  her  broad  bosom 
and  was  hugging  her  as  tightly  as  in  the  days  of 
Mistress  Margaret's  childhood. 

"  Say  but  the  word ;  I  '11  never  leave  thee,  Jock 
and  no  one  other." 

Mistress  Margaret  smoothed  the  round,  red 
cheek  above  her. 

"  T  is  all  settled  now,  and  all  right.  I  did  but 
tease  thee,"  she  reassured  her.  "  Ye  will  do  me 
more  service  here ;  ye  can  keep  things  well  in 
hand  and  have  them  in  readiness  for  me." 

So  Sarah  was  comforted.  The  next  day  but 
one  Mistress  Brent  called  Sarah  and  Jock  to  her 
in  her  chamber.  The  day's  work  was  done  and  the 
early  dusk  filled  the  room,  making  dark  shadows 
about  the  bed  and  hangings  near  which  Mistress 
Margaret  stood. 

"  Jock,"  she  said,  as  he  came  slowly  forward 
behind  Sarah,  "thou  hast  charge  of  the  stores 
upon  the  manor;  now,  or  when  you  think  fit, 
these  are  yours."  She  read  from  a  list  she  held 

in  her  hands : 

"  Three  barrels  of  corn ; 

One  billing  hoe; 
One  felling  axe. 


176  MISTRESS   BRENT 

Your  other  belongings  are  here ;  "  she  pointed  to 
a  pile  of  clothing  on  the  bed  as  she  read : 
"  One  new  cloth  suit; 
One  new  shirt; 
One  pair  new  stockings ; 
A  new  Monmouth  cap ; 

these,  and  the  clothes  you  already  have.  The 
governor  will  give  ye,  an  ye  petition  him,  fifty 
acres  of  land  likewise ;  but  I  trust  ye  will  bide  here 
your  lifetime,  here  at  St.  Anne's.  Sarah,"  she 
turned  the  memorandum  she  held  to  the  light, 
though  she  knew  each  item  of  it  by  heart,  "  thou 
hast  the  same  as  Jock  from  out  our  stores,  and 
these  likewise: 

"  One  new  petty  coat  and  waistcoat ; 

One  new  smock ; 

One  pair  new  shoes ; 

One  pair  new  stockings ; 

and  the  clothes  formerly  belonging  to  ye.  These 
are  your  '  freedom-due,'  your  right  by  the  law  of 
the  province."  She  smiled  brightly  at  the  man 
and  woman  standing  awkwardly  there.  "But 
these  are  wedding  gifts,"  she  pointed  to  a  heap 
of  soft,  dark  stuff  on  the  bed ;  "  't  is  thy  wedding 
gown,  Sarah ;  there  is  a  suit  for  thee,  Jock,  finer 
than  this  fustian.  I  would  have  ye  wed  on  the 
morrow;  what,"  for  Sarah  had  flushed  a  fiery 
red,  "say  ye  not  so,  Jock?" 


MISTRESS    BRENT  177 

"  Ye  will  take  the  pinnace  at  dawn,"  she  went 
on  as  if  it  were  a  task,  this  matter  in  hand, 
she  would  do  well  and  generously  and  yet  she 
loved  not ;  it  seemed  to  put  a  barrier  betwixt  her 
and  her  servitors.  "  Ye  will  take  the  pinnace  at 
dawn  for  St.  Mary's.  Father  White  now  tarrieth 
there ;  ye  will  be  decently  married.  Mayhap,  an 
the  wind  be  fair,  ye  may  be  again  at  St.  Anne's 
by  nightfall.  Take  with  thee  whom  thou  wilt 
as  help  for  sailing.  Your  papers  I  will  have 
duly  attested  and  made  out  at  St.  Mary's.  No ! 
no !  "  she  clasped  her  tiny  hands  upon  her  ears ; 
"get  ye  gone — now  —  save  your  speech  for  one 
another."  She  signalled  them  out  of  the  room 
and  sent  them  away  peremptorily. 

It  hurt  her  more  than  she  had  thought  to  make 
this  formal  severance.  True,  their  servants  in  the 
old  land  were  free  to  come  and  go,  only  they 
rarely  went,  one  counted  on  their  lifelong  faith- 
fulness. But  here,  such  new  visions  filled  their 
minds,  land  was  so  easily  come  by.  She  had 
fitted  them  both  with  all  they  might  need  for  a 
settler's  life ;  the  sturdy  axe  could  soon  fell  trees 
a-plenty  for  the  building  of  a  rude  and  simple 
cabin,  and  make  much  of  their  furniture  likewise. 

She  smiled  as  she  thought  on  some  of  the 
simple  huts  she  had  seen,  gourds  for  drinking-ves- 
sels,  smooth  chips  for  plates,  logs  set  endwise  for 


178  MISTRESS   BRENT 

tables  and  chairs  alike,  pine  boughs  and  skins 
for  bedding — ah,  yes,  it  was  simple  enough;  and 
a  man  was  one's  own  master,  so  they  said,  and 
would  come,  mayhap,  to  a  vote  in  the  Assembly. 

Mistress  Margaret  shrugged  her  slender  shoul- 
ders. She  was  aristocrat  from  curling  hair  to 
dainty  foot,  and  cared  not  a  whit  for  such  mad- 
ness, but,  instead,  would  have  each  right  the 
Charter  of  Maryland  granted  her,  even  to  the 
wearing  of  a  title.  Only  her  cousin  Baltimore 
had,  strangely  enough,  grown  neglectful  of  such 
matters  as  he  had  lain  much  stress  on  there  in 
Arundel. 

She  stood  dreamily  when  they  were  gone, — 
Jock  and  Sarah,  —  looking  through  the  open 
window  toward  the  river.  Darkness  lay  thick 
under  the  oaks,  a  few  belated  fireflies  twinkled 
in  the  grass,  the  sea-fowl  lingering  on  their  south- 
ward way  called  shrill  and  plaintive  from  their 
circling  flight,  the  lonely  voices  of  the  eventide 
pierced  to  the  heart  of  the  solitary  listener.  The 
morning  calls  of  nature  are  a  joyous  reveille  to 
awakening,  to  work,  to  hope ;  but  as  the  sun 
sinks  slowly  in  the  west  and  shadows  fall,  the 
call  sounds  low,  subdued,  and  sad. 

Mistress  Brent  at  her  window,  looking  forth  on 
shadowed  lawn  and  darkened  river  from  which 
the  sunset  lights  were  swiftly  fading,  and  listening 


MISTRESS    BRENT  179 

to  the  murmuring  wind  in  the  bronzing  oaks  and 
the  long,  low  wash  of  the  tide,  was  aware  that 
she  joyed  in  the  thought  of  living  once  more 
amongst  men. 

She  was  soon  amidst  many  of  the  province. 
Ere  she  landed,  the  idle  canoes  about  St.  Mary's 
wharf,  the  group  under  the  great  mulberry  on  the 
Point,  where  the  loungers  were  wont  most  to 
loiter,  told  their  tale.  As  she  walked  slowly 
up  the  sandy  street,  the  many  faces  at  door  and 
window  of  the  houses  crowded  to  overflowing 
told  it  again. 

It  had  been  two  years  since  she  set  foot  in  the 
town,  and  she  went,  now,  with  many  a  glance 
about  her,  notwithstanding  that  Giles,  resplendent 
in  his  bravery,  walked  by  her.  She  would  have 
a  word  with  all  the  children  in  the  street  until  he 
stopped  her. 

"  Peace,  Margaret,  ye  will  have  every  chit  of 
them  all  at  thy  heels.  Come  thy  way,  after- 
wards." 

"  Aye,"  said  she,  laughingly,  "  I  must  see  them 
all,  the  round,  fat  beggars !  Their  cheeks  show 
well  enow  there  's  plenty  in  the  town." 

"  Plenty,"  quoth  Giles,  his  face  growing  stern- 
set;  "an  these  fellows  return  not  soon  to  their 
claims,  there  will  be  want  of  the  direst  in  Mary- 
land ere  another  twelvemonth." 


i8o  MISTRESS   BRENT 

But  Mistress  Margaret's  humor  was  blithe. 
No  dark  fears  yet  possessed  her.  In  the  garden 
plot,  here  a  well-tended  rose  showed  autumn 
blossomings,  there  sweet  winter  violets  bloomed  ; 
for  each  she  had  a  quick  observance.  As  long 
as  the  women  tended  their  flowers  and  the  chil- 
dren sang  in  the  street,  she  knew  that  all  was 
well.  But  as  the  winter  grew  apace,  even  Mistress 
Margaret  waxed  faint-hearted.  Some  of  the  men, 
unwilling  to  lose  the  fruit  of  all  their  labors, 
returned  to  their  claims  to  harvest  a  crop  already 
damaged  by  neglect ;  but  many,  their  fears  mag- 
nified by  the  fears  of  their  neighbors  and  grown 
to  overblown  proportions,  lingered  on  through 
all  the  winter.  The  households,  but  furnished  for 
themselves,  felt  the  strain  of  added  numbers; 
oysters  from  the  river,  wild  ducks  from  the 
marshes,  and  venison  from  the  forest  were  plenti- 
ful but  bread  grew  scarce. 

The  weather,  too,  was  rigorous,  beyond  the 
wont  of  the  climate.  Scarce  was  the  Christmas 
season,  with  such  cheer  and  festivity  as  Mistress 
Brent  could  make  for  it,  passed,  than  bitter  cold 
set  in.  The  river  was  frozen  from  side  to  side  so 
that  men  could  safely  cross  it,  snow  fell  irregularly 
for  days  and  drifted  into  door-yards  and  chimney- 
side,  and  sifted  through  the  bare  branches  of  the 
forest  and  weighted  the  thick  pines. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  181 

Now  Mistress  Margaret  saw  what  the  governor 
had  been  to  his  people.  Through  every  day 
came  messengers  to  those  who  were  in  his  stead, 
messages  of  want  or  sickness,  news  from  outlying 
plantations,  prayers  for  help, — they  must  heed 
each,  as  they  knew  he  would  have  done. 

Giles's  finery  went  neglected  as  he  bent  him  to 
his  many  tasks.  To  visit  the  plantations,  to  stop 
for  a  cheery  word  with  the  gamesters  in  the 
coffee-house,  to  hold,  above  all,  the  tangled 
affairs  of  government  as  well  as  he  might,  left 
time  for  little  else. 

Mistress  Margaret  must  take  him  to  task  about 
his  thoughtlessness  concerning  himself,  as  he 
came  one  night  wet  from  ploughing  through 
great  drifts  of  snow  and  shivering  with  cold. 
She  herself  rested  by  the  great  fire  in  the  gov- 
ernor's living-room,  where  she  had  come  upon  Cal- 
vert  that  evening  when  she  had  dared  to  visit  him. 

The  table,  pushed  back  beneath  the  window,  was 
still  covered  with  papers,  but  neatly  folded  or 
tied  in  packages,  —  Giles  was  ever  orderly,  —  ink- 
horn  and  quill,  and  seal  of  Maryland  and  the 
map  made  by  Captain  Evelin  yet  garnished  it, 
side  by  side  with  manuscript  leaves  of  the  player 
Shakespeare  and  the  parson-poet  Herrick.  Giles 
affected  the  new  literature,  and  would  have  it  sent 
him  from  London. 


182  MISTRESS   BRENT 

The  dark,  heavy  settle  with  its  high-back  screen 
against  the  draughts  was  close  drawn  before  the 
fire,  and  Mistress  Brent  with  Mistress  Hawley  by 
her  side  sat  upon  it;  the  great  chair  waited  Giles, 
and  Mistress  Margaret  fretted  at  his  long  stay. 

"  Had  any  one  forewarned  me  he  'd  so  forget 
himself!  Come  wind  or  weather,  he  is  forever 
about;  he  must  visit  the  coffee-house  for  a  word 
with  the  men,  he  says  they  need  a  word  of  cheer 
now  and  then.  Cheer  !  the  cowardly  "  — 

"  Nay,"  protested  Mistress  Hawley,  comforting, 
"  thou  must  not  dwell  on  such  hard  thoughts, 
'tis  not  like  thee." 

"But  Giles,  Giles  is  all  I  have  within  the 
province !  " 

"  Hast  forgot  Mary  ?  " 

Mistress  Brent  rose  from  the  great  settle  and 
walked  around  it  restlessly  to  the  window. 

"Tis  as  clear  as  daylight,"  she  declared  as 
she  drew  aside  the  hangings  from  the  window; 
"  the  stars  shine  like  glittering  steel,  and  the  white 
light  of  the  moon — how  the  wind  whistles,  the 
ice  forms  already  on  the  pane;  if  Giles  were  but 
within !  " 

"  He  will  return  ere  long." 

"Thou  art  a  sure  prophet,"  his  sister  cried, 
a  note  of  relief  in  her  voice.  "  There  he  comes !  " 
as  she  saw  a  tall,  slender  form  bent  to  breast  the 


MISTRESS   BRENT  183 

wind;  "though  why  I  should  have  worried  this 
night  of  all  others  —  He  is  ever  late  and  uncertain. 
Faith,  I  believe  it  is  because  the  bitter  cold  chills 
one's  courage  as  well  as  one's  blood."  She  came 
back  to  the  settle  and  cuddled  close  to  Mistress 
Hawley's  side.  "  'T  is  such  a  night  as  one  loves 
to  have  the  household  within  doors." 

"  Ah,  Giles,"  she  called,  as  he  paused  at  the 
doorway  blinded  by  the  glare  of  the  firelight, 
"  thou  hast  come  at  last.  I  e'en  grew  uneasy." 

"  Uneasy,"  he  answered  lightly ;  "  didst  think 
wild  beasts  were  abroad  in  the  streets?" 

"  God's  faith,  I  trust  not.  Thou  art  wet,  the 
snow  clings  even  to  thy  shoe  buckles.  Go,  change 
thy  footgear." 

"I  will  but  warm  me  by  the  fire."  He  came 
forward  to  the  chair  by  the  fire,  not  knowing  the 
room  held  any  save  his  sister.  The  firelight 
shone  full  on  Mistress  Hawley's  fair  face  against 
the  background  of  the  dark  wood  of  the  settle. 

A  quick  joy  shone  in  Giles'  bright  hazel  eyes. 
"I  thought  not  —  " 

"  I  despatched  a  messenger  for  Mistress  Hawley 
ere  sunset  and  besought  her  to  visit  us.  She 
is  over  chary  of  her  company  and  needs  much 
coaxing  to  bide  the  night,  but  I  shall  not  let  her 
from  us." 

"'Tis  biting  cold,"  declared  Giles  as  he  leaned 


184  MISTRESS   BRENT 

forward  to  warm  his  stiffened  fingers ;  "  methinks  " 

—  he  paused  a  moment  looking  thoughtfully  at 
flame  of  oak  and  hickory — "the  smith's  wife  is 
ill  of  pneumonia,  't  is  the  fifth  one  in  the  town ; 
many  children  are  ailing,  likewise." 

"And  thou  hast  been  from  house  to  house?  " 
"  'T  is  but  what  the  governor  would  have  done 

—  and  what  thou  wilt  do  on  the  morrow,"  he  cast 
a  kind,  shrewd  glance  at  Mistress  Margaret's  face. 

"  I  shall  take  Mistress  Hawley  with  me." 

"  Mistress  Hawley  hath  much  skill  in  nursing?  " 
questioned  Giles. 

Mistress  Hawley  smiled  her  acquiescence. 

"  Thou  wilt  have  enough  to  tax  thee,  an  thou 
wilt  help  us." 

"  I  have  been  always  ready.  Governor  Calvert 
hath  come  oft  to  me  for  aid." 

"  Thou  shouldst  see  the  herbs  and  simples 
hanging  from  her  kitchen  rafters.  She  '11  burn 
her  patients  with  pepper  teas  and  hot  mustards." 

"The  cold  must  be  driven  out,"  said  Mistress 
Hawley,  defending  herself. 

"  And  rub  them  with  bear's  grease." 

"  There  is  naught  better  for  the  rheumatism." 

"  Come,  I  Ve  had  the  megrims  all  the  day !  I 
have  been  close  shut  indoors  too  long;  hadst 
thou  not  come  —  but  now  I  have  both  thee  and 
Giles." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  185 

"  Thou  art  sober,  Giles,  and  thy  lace  is  torn," 
she  leaned  toward  him  and  fingered  the  torn  fringe 
at  his  wrist,  but  Giles,  unused  to  caressings,  flushed 
and  drew  his  hand  away. 

"  Thy  collar  is  rumpled,"  she  went  on,  teasingly. 

"  Margaret  1"  called  Giles,  sternly;  it  angered 
him  to  have  his  toilet  so  dwelt  upon  before  Mis- 
tress Hawley. 

"  Well,  well,  I  did  but  want  thee—  " 

"  A  man  is  oft  careless  in  his  dress  because  he 
hath  other  matters  to  think  on,"  said  Mistress 
Hawley.  Giles  had  lost  nothing  in  her  sight  by 
his  work  in  St.  Mary's  that  winter. 

Mistress  Brent  rose  to  her  feet.  Her  own  rich 
gown  hung  in  bright  folds  about  her,  and  the  coils 
of  her  hair  shone  jewel-set  upon  her  head. 

"I  have  just  the  thing,"  she  declared,  as  she 
went  quickly  out  of  the  room. 

Giles,  before  the  fire,  was  well  content.  The 
warmth  of  it  crept  through  his  chilled  body,  and 
the  sight  of  the  calm,  clear  face  near  him  warmed 
his  heart ;  as  he  leaned  forward  close  to  the  fire 
he  studied  her  delightedly  with  sidelong  glances, 
—  the  ripple  of  the  fair  brown  hair  on  her  white 
temple  where  the  blue  veins  shone,  the  eyes  wide 
set,  deep  fringed,  the  oval  of  cheek  faintly  tinged 
with  pink,  the  long  curves  of  her  figure. 

The   red   lips   were   curved   upward.     He   had 


1 86  MISTRESS   BRENT 

watched  them  a  hundred  times :  curved  thus  they 
meant  content  or  merriment;  straight  set  they 
often  were,  it  was  when  her  mood  was  determined 
or  when  she  was  going  briskly  about  her  house- 
hold tasks;  drooping  they  sometimes  were,  and 
the  sadness  of  her  eyes  and  face  then  cut  him  to 
the  heart. 

The  silence  which  fell  on  them  when  Mistress 
Brent  left  them  was  of  friendship  and  knowledge 
of  one  another;  there  was  no  need  for  hasty  speech 
to  break  embarrassed  pause. 

The  wind  whistled  about  the  house  and  shrieked 
in  the  chimney's  mouth,  and  the  flames  crackled  in 
the  hearth  and  the  hot  sap  hissed  and  spluttered 
on  the  burning  logs. 

Mistress  Margaret  came  gayly  back,  an  Indian 
basket  heaped  with  red  apples  in  her  hand. 

"  Now,"  she  cried,  as  she  knelt  before  the  fire 
and  placed  the  apples  in  shining  rows  before  the 
hot  coals,  "  we  '11  roast  apples  and  tell  tales ;  would 
we  had  Mary  and  her  lute." 

Giles  laughed.  "  When  last  I  saw  her  lute 
Rosalind  was  plucking  at  a  string,  the  rest  were 
broke." 

"  Poor  Mary !  "  sighed  Mistress  Margaret,  as 
she  turned  an  apple  to  her  liking. 

"  'T  is  what  she  said  of  thee  when  last  I  visited 
her,"  said  Giles,  teasingly. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  187 

Mistress  Margaret  looked  over  her  shoulder  in 
round-eyed  wonder. 

"Of  me?" 

"Dost  think  thyself  the  most  fortunate  of  all 
womenkind  that  none  should  pity  thee?"  ques- 
tioned Mistress  Hawley. 

"  Pity,  why,  't  is  akin  to  love,  the  poet  says," 
teased  Giles. 

Mistress  Brent  drew  back  on  the  bearskin  rug 
and  coiled  her  skirts  about  her. 

"  Here  are  some  walnuts,"  she  said  compla- 
cently, holding  up  her  basket,  "  newly  cracked, 
and  hickory  nuts  with  thin  shells  from  the  great 
tree  beyond  the  town.  Giles,  reach  me  hither  the 
pewter  plates  from  the  mantel.  They  are  but 
freshly  dusted,"  she  said  anxiously  to  Mistress 
Hawley. 

She  ran  her  white  hands  in  the  basket  and 
brought  them  out  heaped  with  nuts,  black  and 
yellow  shelled,  and  piled  the  plate  for  Mistress 
Hawley's  knee. 

"  Giles,  't  is  thy  turn  now !  " 

She  filled  the  plate  upon  her  own  lap  and  began 
to  eat  with  hearty  enjoyment. 

"  Faith,"  she  laughed  as  a  spluttering  apple  fair 
splashed  her  hand,  "  now,  wast  thou  not  so  abste- 
mious," she  teased  Mistress  Hawley,  "  we  'd  brew 
a  bowl  o'  punch  with  fresh  hot  apples  for  it." 


1 88  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"  I  love  a  roasted  apple  better,"  said  Mistress 
Hawley. 

"  With  savory  spices  and  soft  sugar,"  went  on 
Margaret,  teasingly;  "the  governor's  housekeeper 
hath  them  all  within  her  store-room." 

"  'T  is  right  she  should,"  declared  Mistress 
Hawley,  stoutly. 

"And  right  we  should  use  them?  "  teased  Mis- 
tress Margaret. 

"  Come,  Madge,"  broke  in  Giles,  "  tend  thy 
apples,  methinks  there  is  a  smell  of  burning  in 
the  air." 

"  Burning !  't  is  done  to  a  turn ;  "  she  leaned 
forward  and  plucked  the  apple  by  its  stem. 
"Katharine,  an  thou  lovest  such — " 

It  was  an  evening  of  happy  carelessness  they 
long  remembered;  one  of  the  few  they  could 
snatch  from  that  hard  winter.  For  next  day, 
spite  of  cold  and  snow,  Mistress  Hawley  and 
Mistress  Brent  were  abroad,  and  found  work  for 
many  a  day  to  come. 

Mistress  Hawley's  stock  of  herbs  and  simples 
was  well  nigh  exhausted  before  the  siege  of  the 
winter  had  passed,  and  bread  had  grown  so  scarce 
Giles  had  fitted  out  a  pinnace  for  trade  with  the 
Indians  of  Virginia,  and  bought  maize,  which  he 
distributed  according  to  the  people's  necessities. 
There  had  been  tales  of  Indian  depredations  all 


MISTRESS   BRENT  189 

the  winter;  some  said  the  cattle  had  been  driven 
off  or  hogs  had  been  stolen,  lurking  figures  had 
been  seen  about  the  distant  clearings;  but  the 
cattle  had  been  found  astray  and  hogs  had  been 
shot  half  wild  in  the  forests,  their  owners'  mark 
upon  them.  Men  began  to  see  they  had  scared 
themselves  with  their  own  hobgoblins,  and  to  think 
of  returning  to  their  claims. 

And  when  at  last  they  did  they  found  their 
houses  wet  with  the  storms  of  winter  that  had 
beat  upon  them  untenanted.  Beds  and  clothing 
were  mouldering;  the  corn  which  yet  hung  upon 
the  stalks  was  moulded  in  the  husks,  or  else  corn 
and  stalk  alike  were  beaten  in  the  furrow  or  de- 
stroyed by  wild  beasts;  the  tobacco  they  had 
cut  before  the  fear  came  upon  them  was  illy 
cured  where  it  hung  in  the  open  sheds,  there 
was  trouble  to  find  even  the  seed  for  the  new 
planting. 

But  in  the  spring-tide,  when  the  sap  ran  riotous 
through  trunk  and  tip  of  wood-growth,  and  saxi- 
frage and  anemone  were  nodding  at  the  forest 
edge,  and  the  air  was  full  of  smell  of  bud  and 
blossom  and  resonant  with  sweet  wild-bird  songs, 
when  every  day  of  sunshine  was  a  call  more  potent 
than  any  human  plea  to  be  up  and  doing  out  of 
doors,  men  took  heart  of  grace. 

There  were  fish  in  the  rivers  and  game  in  the 


190  MISTRESS    BRENT 

woods,  and  strawberries  and  wild  fruits  in  their 
season  would  yield  their  due ;  slight  shelter  was 
needed  for  the  summer,  and  by  winter  much  they 
had  lost  could  be  regained. 

Hope  ran  in  their  veins  like  the  sap  in  the  wood- 
lands; the  people  of  the  town,  relieved  of  their 
surplus  households,  worked  in  their  gardens  or 
ploughed  their  fields  beyond  the  town.  The 
women  tended  their  houses  and  dug  about  their 
roses,  their  cowslips,  and  sweet,  early  blooming 
spikes  of  wallflower,  and  the  children  played  in 
the  streets. 

Yet  the  colony  had  been  shaken,  and,  like  a 
woman  once  frighted,  hid  tender  nerves  under  its 
calm. 


XII 

THOUGH  the  spring  days  came  and  went, 
there  was  no  sail  from  England.  The 
governor,  so  he  had  said,  would  be 
back  with  the  first  of  the  shipping,  but  no  vessel 
showed  on  the  river  save  the  pinnaces  of  the 
planters. 

Through  Jamestown,  however,  came  news  of 
victorious  rebellion  in  England,  a  mighty  tearing 
of  all  her  people  into  factions,  and  those  of  Mary- 
land feared  for  her  governor's  success. 

Giles  was  growing  restless  as  to  his  commandery 
of  Kent,  and  Mistress  Margaret  would  be  gone  to 
St.  Anne's.  She  had  had  enough  of  men  and 
their  affairs,  and  longed  again  for  the  quiet  of 
her  manor. 

She  was  thinking  of  it  restlessly  as  she  loitered 
along  the  street  from  the  governor's  house  by 
chapel  and  mill,  around  Mattaponi  Street  toward 
Mistress  Hawley's.  Before  the  coffee-house  some 
idle  fellows  were  playing  quoits,  another  lingered 
by  the  wide,  low  doorway,  smoking  his  evening 
pipe  lazily;  across  the  sandy  green-bordered  lane 


192  MISTRESS   BRENT 

the  shadows  were  growing  long,  and  Margaret 
noted,  as  she  walked,  the  sweet  white  clovers 
showing  blossom  in  the  thick-set  grass,  but  her 
mood  was  not  of  pleasant  loitering  nor  idle  chat. 

"Faith,"  she  complained  to  Mistress  Hawley, 
when  she  came  upon  her  in  the  narrow  strip  of 
yard,  trimming  the  rose  which  had  grown  into  a 
bower  above  her  door  and  window,  "  I  feel  as  lazy 
and  as  quarrelsome  as  —  as  — "  she  paused  for 
simile,  "  as  those  idle  fellows  there,"  she  added, 
pointing  up  the  street. 

"  They  look  merry  enow,"  said  Mistress  Hawley, 
when  she  had  bade  her  welcome. 

"  But  they  are  quarrelling,"  declared  Margaret, 
persistently,  "  and  might  have  come  to  blows  had 
I  not  sauntered  past ;  I  did  but  give  them  a  look 
from  the  tail  of  mine  eye  as  I  came  and  they 
quieted,  forsooth." 

Mistress  Hawley  reached  to  catch  a  high,  rugged 
spray  and  trim  it  evenly  and  bind  it  to  the  cottage 
side. 

"  One  fellow  would  have  it  his  ring  had  hit  the 
stake  and  shied  away,"  went  on  Margaret,  mischiev- 
ously making  much  of  the  trifle ;  "  the  other," 
she  looked  above  her  where  she  sat  in  the  door- 
way, "  the  rose  will  soon  be  budded,"  she  said, 
abruptly ;  "  it  minds  one  of  the  day  we  first  set 
foot  in  the  province." 


MISTRESS    BRENT  193 

"  'T  was  in  pouring  rain  and  howling  wind." 

"  Belike  it  was.  La  !  Katharine,  look !  "  Margaret 
leaned  up  against  the  door-post  while  she  shook 
with  laughter.  There  down  the  street  came  the 
belated  cowherd  hurrying  the  cattle  before  him; 
they  half  turned  at  the  corner,  and  he  was  upon 
them  with  his  stick  belaboring  them,  but  they 
turned  again  and  charged  furiously  by  the  coffee- 
house, fairly  running  on  the  unconscious  players. 

"  Moll  looks  as  if  she  'd  gore  him  an  she  had 
a  chance,"  laughed  Mistress  Hawley ;  "  't  is  well  he 
could  skip  it  lightly.  I  must  hasten  to  the  dairy ; 
come,  come  with  me." 

"That  will  I.  I  ne'er  think  of  thee  and  thy 
house  without  a  memory  of  that  cool  nook  there." 

"  An  you  had  to  spend  as  many  hours  a  day  as 
I  do  there,  mayhap  you  would  tire  of  it." 

"Aye,  I  tire  of  everything  in  its  turn.  I  am 
tired  now  of  St.  Mary's,"  she  declared,  as  she 
followed  along  the  well-trod  pathway  to  the  spring 
house  beneath  the  walnut  whose  pale-green  buds 
were  showing  faintly. 

In  the  cool,  dusky  dairy  the  clear  water  rippled 
by  crock  of  rich  milk  and  jar  of  yellow  butter,  and 
the  scent  of  ripening  cheeses  on  the  shelf  mingled 
with  the  fresh,  sweet  smell  of  earth  and  running 
water. 

Mistress  Hawley  tucked  up  her  long,  full  skirt 
13 


i94  MISTRESS    BRENT 

and  rolled  the  sleeves  from  her  round  wrists  and 
lifted  with  strong,  supple  arms  the  heavy  crock  to 
the  shelf.  She  began  to  skim  the  cream  with 
quick,  practised  hand.  She  must  make  ready  for 
the  fresh  milk  the  maid  would  soon  bring. 

Mistress  Margaret  went  back  to  her  early  plaint. 
"  I  am  tired  of  St.  Mary's." 

Mistress  Hawley  nodded  as  if  to  say  she  ex- 
pected such  affairs. 

"  Katharine,"  begged  Margaret,  speaking  sud- 
denly and  quickly,  "  I  would  ye  were  not  so  vastly 
industrious." 

"  In  truth  !  "  said  Mistress  Hawley  carelessly,  as 
she  went  on  busily  with  her  work. 

"  In  truth  !  "  mimicked  Mistress  Margaret ;  "  then 
ye  would,  Katharine,  hearken  to  what  I  have  to 
say;  'fore  God,  I  mean  it,  every  word;  listen  !  " 

"  Do  I  not  alway  ?  " 

"  Tut !  one  would  think  you  the  easiest  moved 
of  mortals." 

"  In  truth  !  " 

"  In  truth !  thou  art  fair  angering,  Katharine, 
with  thy  everlasting  '  in  truth,'  thy  short  words  and 
wise  looks ;  I  'd  fain  shake  ye  soundly  !  "  she  said, 
eying  her  with  a  look  of  mischief  and  resentment 
mingled. 

"  Try  it !  " 

Mistress  Margaret  sprang  to  her  feet  and  put  her 


MISTRESS   BRENT  195 

slender  hands  on  Mistress  Hawley's  firm  shoulders. 
"  Would  I  could  !  "  she  cried,  then  flung  her  arms 
lightly  about  her. 

"Katharine,  listen!  Give  up  thy  cottage  here 
and  go  with  me  to  St.  Anne's;  thou  shalt  share 
with  me  in  all  things." 

Mistress  Hawley  gasped.  "  Margaret,  what 
folly  —  " 

"And  ye  did,  ye'd  marry  in  a  twelvemonth," 
said  Margaret,  as  she  turned  petulantly  away. 

"  Marry ! "  cried  Mistress  Hawley,  shortly. 
"  Methinks  there  was  some  truth  in  what  ye  said, 
ye  wax  idle." 

"  Now,  Kate,  be  silent.  I  blame  myself  and 
belabor  myself,  but  for  another  to  belabor  me  — 
never !  I  did  but  ask  thee  to  St.  Anne's,"  she 
went  on,  defending  herself.  "  There 's  many  a 
one  —  " 

"Aye,  many  a  one  would  be  glad  to  go.  But 
thou  knowest  how  one's  heart  takes  root.  I  would 
not  leave  here,"  she  looked  about  her  at  cottage 
and  garden  and  dairy,  and  thought  on  her  fields 
and  pastures  allotted  outside  the  town.  "  I  would 
not  give  up  these,  no,  for  naught ;  besides  —  " 

It  was  Mistress  Margaret's  turn  to  mimic.  "  Be- 
sides," she  quoted,  petulantly. 

"  Besides,  ye  know  my  humor ;  I  would  be 
beholden  to  none." 


196  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"But  would  have  all  beholden  to  thee.  Thou 
art  proud  e'en  in  thy  charities." 

"  My  charities?     I  have  none." 

"  Then  all  thy  kindnesses  count  for  naught." 

Mistress  Hawley  was  half  angered.  She  turned 
quietly  to  the  skimming  of  the  milk  and  poured 
the  thick,  yellow  cream  into  the  crock  for  the 
morrow's  churning;  naught  broke  the  stillness 
save  the  sound  of  the  rippling  water  and  the 
rustling  of  the  walnut's  branches.  Then  there 
came  a  ringing  step  adown  the  path. 

"  Margaret,"  cried  Mistress  Hawley,  "  who  is  it?  " 

"  Faith,  't  is  Giles !  he  said  he  had  some  errand 
at  the  coffee-house  and  would  come  hither  when 
it  was  done ;  it  must  have  been  of  quick  despatch." 

"  Giles?  "  cried  Mistress  Hawley,  rosy  red ;  "  run, 
meet  him,  take  him  to  the  house!  I  would  not 
have  him  see  me  thus." 

But  Mistress  Margaret  was  lazily  still,  a  look  of 
mischief  in  her  dark  eyes. 

"La!  Katharine,  thou  dost  the  dairymaid  to 
perfection ;  that  bare  arm,  now,  Giles  would  give 
a  pound  for  the  looking  on  it." 

"  Margaret !  "  Mistress  Hawley  was  plucking 
with  nervous  fingers  at  tucked  skirt  and  rolled-up 
sleeves. 

Margaret  stooped  hastily  and  lifted  a  moist 
crock  from  the  floor. 


MISTRESS    BRENT  197 

"Hi!  Giles,"  she  called,  "we  are  within  the 
dairy.  I  would  assist  Mistress  Hawley,"  she  de- 
clared demurely,  as  she  went  diligently  to  work 
skimming  the  cream.  Giles  came  on  quickly,  his 
erect,  slender  figure  showing  clearly  as  he  came 
down  the  pathway. 

"  Margaret,  Margaret !  "  cried  Mistress  Hawley, 
shocked,  spite  of  her  embarrassment  at  Margaret's 
manner  of  work,  "ye  will  break  the  cream  and 
ye—" 

"I'll  warrant  me  she  is  a  rare  dairymaid," 
laughed  Giles,  as  he  reached  the  doorway. 

"  There  was  none  within,"  he  went  on,  apologiz- 
ing for  his  presence  there.  "  I  knew  where  to 
search  for  ye  at  such  an  hour.  I  Ve  heard 
Margaret  prate  of  thy  dairy  oft." 

"  Come,  Margaret,  leave  it  to  Ann,"  begged 
Mistress  Hawley,  throwing  the  great  spoon  upon 
the  shelf. 

"Nay,  finish  thy  work,"  begged  Giles;  "'tis 
pleasant  loitering  here." 

Giles  leaned  against  the  doorway  and  watched 
with  keen,  delighted  eyes  the  supple  figure  moving 
to  and  fro.  The  maids  came  with  the  foaming 
milk  which  must  be  strained  into  the  clean  crocks, 
and  the  churning  must  be  made  ready  for  the 
morrow. 

The  sun  was  well  set  behind  the  vast  forest  and 


198  MISTRESS    BRENT 

the  sickle  of  the  new  moon  hung  in  its  red  wester- 
ing when  they  came  gayly  up  the  pathway  to  the 
house.  The  doors  of  the  hall  were  opened  back 
and  front,  and  as  they  neared  the  one  a  messenger 
swift  with  ill  news  came  in  the  other. 

Giles  knew  him  instantly  spite  of  the  dusk  that 
thickened  in  the  hall,  'twas  a  fellow  of  his  house 
of  Kent. 

"James,"  demanded  his  master  quickly,  "what 
brings  thee  hither?" 

"We  did  think  it  best  one  should  come,"  the 
man  faltered,  not  knowing  what  to  say,  now  that 
he  stood  at  last  in  his  master's  presence. 

"Ye  have  come  with  news;  what  is  it?  speak!  " 

"A  ship  hath  come  to  Kent,"  began  the  man, 
nervously. 

"Is  it  of  England?" 

"  I  know  not." 

"  God's  grace ! "  blazed  Giles,  forgetful  in  his 
impatience  of  the  womankind  about  him ;  "  whose 
ship  ?  What  is  thy  tale  ?  " 

"'Tis  Captain  Ingle,"  faltered  the  man. 

"  And  who  is  Captain  Ingle,  forsooth  ?  " 

"  Tis  a  trader  and  adventurer  who  hath  been  to 
St.  Mary's  in  the  earliest  days  of  the  settlement; 
he  is  a  warm  friend  and  adherent  of  Claiborne's," 
said  Mistress  Hawley  slowly,  speaking  as  one  who 
feared  what  might  yet  be  said. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  199 

"What  does  he  at  Kent?  Out  with  it,  man! 
Thou  hast  ever  a  ready  tongue." 

"  The  people  were  o'erjoyed  with  his  coming ; 
the  settlers  crowded  to  the  fort;  he  had  much 
to  tell  them  —  " 

"  In  God's  name,  of  what?  " 

"  Of  England ;  that  the  king  would  be  o'er- 
thrown  and  Maryland  —  " 

"  And  what  of  Maryland  ? "  broke  in  Mistress 
Margaret. 

"  They  will  have  no  more  of  the  government 
of  St.  Mary's." 

"  What !  "  blazed  Margaret,  "  they  dare  to  rebel 
against  the  governor  Calvert  and  the  Lord  Pro- 
prietor?" 

"  T  is  not  the  first  time,"  said  Mistress  Hawley, 
quietly;  "ye  recall  the  tale  I  told  ye  long  ago." 

"  Aye,  but  so  long  ago."  Mistress  Brent  was 
hot  at  such  presumptuous  daring. 

"  The  governor  will  make  them  repent,"  she 
cried. 

"But  they  say — "  the  man  paused  as  if  he 
feared  to  finish. 

"Say  what?" 

"That  the  governor  comes  no  more,"  said  the 
man,  eying  Giles  anxiously,  as  if  to  read  from 
his  face  if  such  news  could  be  true. 

"  The  governor  comes  on  any  day,"  said  Giles, 


200  MISTRESS   BRENT 

shortly ;  "  and  so  you  may  tell  them  for  me.  He 
will  show  them  their  folly;  he  will  come  with 
soldiers,  and  I  shall  be  of  them;  but  stay! 
James,  ye  must  hasten  to  my  house.  I  would 
have  ye  return  to  Kent,  see  that  my  household 
is  kept  guarded  and  they  lay  not  a  finger  to  it. 
I  must  send  messages  —  I  —  Margaret,  wilt  thou 
come  with  me  now?" 

He  hurried  her  away.  But  questionings  and 
talk  only  made  the  man's  tale  the  clearer. 

Kent  had  shaken  off  her  allegiance  to  St. 
Mary's  and  again  declared  her  independence. 

Now  Kent,  that  green  isle  far  up  the  bay,  the 
gem  of  the  Chesapeake,  was  a  thorn  in  the  side  of 
the  settlement  of  St.  Mary's.  Settled  by  colonists 
under  William  Claiborne  when  the  grant  of  the 
Calverts  was  yet  unthought  of,  they  would  have 
none  of  their  rule  when  they  were  settled  within 
their  province,  and  even  when  conquered  by 
force  of  arms  were  lukewarm  in  their  allegiance. 
Yet  for  four  years  they  had  owned  the  Calverts' 
sway,  their  burgesses  had  sat  in  the  Assembly, 
and  the  governor  looked  on  their  subjection  as 
perfected  and  appointed  them  a  commander. 
Toward  him  they  were  much  disaffected,  but 
Captain  Brent,  now  in  his  stead,  had  tried  by 
all  his  arts  to  win  them,  and  counted  on  some 
success.  Now  — 


MISTRESS    BRENT  201 

This  Captain  Ingle  had  come,  as  his  fellow  said, 
from  God  knows  where,  and  brought  them  these 
tidings  heard  God  knows  how,  and  had  persuaded 
the  people  as  they  would  gladly  be  persuaded. 

The  king's  cause,  he  told  them,  crumbled  to  the 
ground,  and  with  his  friendship  went  the  cause  of 
the  Lord  Proprietor.  Claiborne,  who  had  power- 
ful friends  on  the  other  side,  would  be  reinstated. 
The  islanders  had  crowded  into  the  little  settle- 
ment to  see  and  hear  him ;  they  were  on  fire  with 
joy  and  enthusiasm  and  would  have  none  of  St. 
Mary's  rule,  no,  not  for  a  day.  And  the  men 
proceeded  to  choose  their  officers  and  to  reinstate 
the  government  they  had  held  ere  Calvert  came. 
Giles's  commandery  was  overthrown.  Bitterest  of 
all,  he  had  lost  it  whilst  in  charge  of  the  province, 
and  now  he  dared  not  act,  and  could  not  an  he 
dared.  The  people,  but  lately  scattered  to  their 
homes,  were  in  no  mood  for  warfare.  Sufficient 
to  them  were  their  own  affairs.  The  soldiers  at 
St.  Mary's  and  the  small  fort  of  the  town  were 
too  few  for  assistance,  and  the  lieutenant-governor 
must  wait  the  governor's  return. 

As  though  ill  news  came  never  but  others 
followed  in  its  wake,  there  came  likewise  a  tale 
of  trouble  from  St.  Anne's.  Whilst  in  the  stable- 
yard  Jock  had  been  taken  unawares  by  a  bear 
gaunt  from  his  winter's  sleeping  and  ferocious 


202  MISTRESS   BRENT 

from  his  hunger.  There  had  been  a  hard  fight 
ere  Jock  could  make  an  end  of  him,  and  the 
beast's  great  paw  had  ripped  his  shoulder  deeply. 
Jock  was  abed. 

There  was  none  at  the  front  of  affairs  when  the 
planting  must  be  attended  to  and  the  tobacco 
made  ready  for  the  early  shipment.  Mistress 
Margaret  must  be  gone. 


XIII 

LIFE  is  ever  new.  One  views  it  never  with 
the  same  gaze.  It  is  like  a  clear  glass 
which,  catching  the  white  light  of  eternity, 
throws  ever  a  changing  hue  on  all  around  it. 

So  Mistress  Margaret  came  back  to  St.  Anne's, 
joyous  to  be  again  within  her  home,  yet  with 
fresh  cares  at  heart  and  a  conscious,  anxious 
memory  of  St.  Mary's  that  would  not  be  gone. 

Instead  of  the  easy,  delighted  absorption  in  her 
own  affairs  in  which  she  had  lived,  was  a  constant 
alertness  which  kept  her  alive  to  every  breath  of 
rumor,  that  rumor  which  somehow  percolates 
the  most  remote  countries  and  makes  one  sure 
there  is  a  brotherhood  in  man,  a  sympathetic 
beating  of  the  pulses  of  humanity,  gainsay  it 
who  may.  The  rumors  were  mostly  of  the  doings 
of  the  lieutenant-governor. 

She  had  left  her  brother,  Captain  Brent,  wild 
with  impatience.  To  sit  idly  down  while  anger 
ran  riot  in  his  veins  was  well  nigh  impossible  to 
his  humor,  yet  it  was  all  left  him  to  do;  and 


204  MISTRESS    BRENT 

having  it  to  do,  he  must  meet  it  as  a  soldier 
should  who  had  learned  to  wait  as  well  as  act, 
and  to  wait  wisely. 

She  found  herself  so  daily  impatient  that  she 
despatched  her  pinnace  for  news.  Giles  had 
intended  ere  the  governor's  return  to  visit  the 
distant  manors  where  the  force  of  men  had  been 
large  enough  to  save  the  people  from  fear  of 
Indian  invasion  and  to  keep  them  within  their 
homes  when  the  settlers  had  crowded  into  the 
town.  He  would  pay  a  stately  visit  to  St.  Peter's 
Key  at  the  head  of  St.  Inigoes  Creek,  to  Delight 
on  St.  George's  River,  and  to  Philipp's  Manor  on 
the  Potomac.  He  would  see  the  block-houses 
of  the  hundreds  and  have  the  captains  make 
their  rounds  of  inspection  earlier  in  the  season 
than  was  their  wont.  Not  a  house  within  the 
province  but  must  be  duly  provided  with  ammu- 
nition. Every  man  must  have  for  himself  and  his 
man-servants  one  musket,  ten  pounds  of  powder, 
forty  pounds  of  lead  bullets,  one  sword  and  belt, 
one  bandelier  and  flask.  Mistress  Brent  knew 
they  were  all  within  her  house,  and  more  besides ; 
her  brother-in-law,  the  captain,  was  most  rigor- 
ous in  his  inspection,  and  had  added,  moreover, 
a  monthly  drilling  to  which  each  household  must 
send  its  complement  of  soldiers. 

And  knowing  Giles  was  gone  from  St.  Mary's 


MISTRESS    BRENT  205 

on  such  errand,  she  strove  to  hold  herself  content 
and  tend  her  own  affairs. 

St.  Anne's,  with  the  budding  oaks  about  it,  the 
newly  built  barns  and  stables,  though  they  were  but 
pine  logs  fresh  and  green  and  thatched  with  reeds, 
with  its  fresh  turned  fields  and  greening  forests, 
was  fair  enough  to  delight  its  owner's  heart. 
Within  the  dwelling  Sarah  had  proven  an  ex- 
cellent care-taker.  Carpet  and  tapestry  were 
well  darned,  pewter  and  silver  beaten  into  shape 
and  polished,  floors  scrubbed  to  shining  white- 
ness, for  Mistress  Brent  would  have  none  of  the 
sanded  floors  or  green-spread  rushes  her  neigh- 
bors affected.  "  Ah,  well !  "  she  sighed,  "  't  is 
well  to  be  home  again,"  and  being  home  and 
being  content  she  must  needs  go  a-visiting  Mary 
and  her  babes.  No  daring  through  the  woods, 
this  visit,  but  her  canoe  and  two  stout  rowers 
likewise,  should  the  wind  fail  them.  And  Mistress 
Margaret,  tingling  with  life  to  her  finger-tips  and 
unwilling  to  brook  even  the  hour's  idleness  within 
the  boat,  must  learn  to  sail,  forsooth,  though  her 
man  was  in  a  quiver  of  fear  and  horror  and  be- 
sought her  far  as  he  dared,  pleading  the  treachery 
of  the  great  river  and  its  sudden  squalls;  and 
Mistress  Brent,  looking  with  careless  glance  along 
the  shifting  blue  water,  called  shame  upon  him  for 
a  coward,  when  here  the  bay  lay  like  a  thing 


206  MISTRESS   BRENT 

asleep,  and  there  a  cat's-paw  of  a  wind  ruffled 
the  blue  into  purplish  tints  and  caught  the  sail 
and  sent  them  spinning  onward. 

She  kept  her  hand  on  the  tiller,  the  servant 
by  her  side,  and  watched  him  trim  the  sail  with 
learning  eye.  "  Aye,"  she  declared  as  she  sprang 
on  Captain  Rogers's  wharf,  "I  will  be  oft  on  the 
river  in  the  summer,  't  is  senseless  waste  to  have 
the  men  from  out  the  fields  to  take  me  on  my 
jaunts ;  I  will  learn  myself."  And  she  went  on 
her  way  gayly,  a  smile  on  her  lips  as  she  noted 
Captain  "Rogers's  dwelling. 

There  in  the  spring  sunshine  it  stood,  gray, 
forbidding,  the  high  palisade  weather-worn  and 
warped,  the  slope  of  the  roof  and  the  chimney 
tops  alone  showing  above  it,  the  gate  tight  shut. 

"  Knock  soundly  upon  it !  "  she  called  to  the 
man  who  followed  her.  The  fellow  picked  a 
great  stick  from  the  ground  and  struck  the  gate 
a  resounding  blow,  when  it  flew  open,  and  a 
sentinel,  blunderbuss  at  his  back,  stood  within. 

Rosalind  played  in  the  bare  yard  and  in  the 
doorway  sat  the  boy,  rosy  and  content. 

Mistress  Margaret  caught  the  girl  in  her  arms. 
"  Auntie  Madge !  "  screamed  Rosalind,  who  loved 
her  aunt  with  all  her  tricksy  ways  devotedly. 

"Aye,  and  here  is  master  Frederick  —  what!" 
for  the  boy  hid  his  face  shyly  against  the 


MISTRESS   BRENT  207 

door-post  and  raised  a  chubby  arm  above  his 
head. 

"  Mary,"  she  cried  to  her  sister,  who  came  out 
into  the  hall,  "  he  knows  me  not ! " 

Mary  came  up  to  her  delightedly.  Rogers  and 
her  babes,  the  yard  and  beach  and  wharf —  her 
sole  outing-place  —  grew  tiresome  now  and  then, 
and  even  the  babes  became  a  cloying  joy.  Mar- 
garet was  like  a  breeze  from  the  north  sweeping 
over  her.  She  felt  again  the  Mary  Brent  of  old, 
and  no  longer  Mistress  Rogers  of  Rogers's  Hope. 

"  An  ye  come  not  oftener,"  reproached  Mary, 
"what  can  ye  expect?" 

"  Coax  him  to  me."  Margaret  seated  herself 
on  the  step  by  his  side. 

"  Nay,  Margaret,"  Mistress  Rogers  chided,  "  what 
would  Henry  say  an  he  entered  and  found  Mis- 
tress Brent  newly  come  from  the  governor's  resi- 
dence, sprawled  on  his  doorstep  romping  with  the 
children?  Come,  sit  here!  leave  Frederick;  he '11 
come  to  his  senses  shortly."  She  pulled  a  chair 
forward  in  the  hall,  and  Margaret,  Rosalind  fast 
clasped  in  her  arms,  rested  herself  within  it. 

Fair  as  she  looked,  childish  pleasure  in  her  eyes, 
the  bright  color  burnt  by  wind  and  sunshine  in 
her  cheek,  there  was  none  to  see,  to  admire,  nor 
cavil.  Captain  Rogers  was  hunting  in  the  wood 
and  returned  not. 


208  MISTRESS   BRENT 

She  could  talk  as  unrestrained  as  in  the  olden 
days,  and  by  and  by  the  babe,  with  many  a  shy 
delay,  came  close  and  closer,  till  he  too  was  on 
her  knee,  his  eyes  fixed  on  the  jewel  at  her 
throat. 

"  The  sweet  chuck !  "  cried  Margaret,  unfasten- 
ing the  pin ;  "  he  shall  have  it !  " 

"  Madge  !  "  protested  her  sister. 

"  Nay,  I  have  never  given  him  aught  save  his 
drinking-mug ;  his  sister  here,"  she  lifted  Rosa- 
lind, "  hath  fair  hair  like  her  mother's ;  for  this 
young  lady  I  shall  have  a  set  of  corals  of  won- 
drous carving  to  show  against  her  pink  cheeks 
and  white  arms.  For  him  —  aye,  Mary,  what  does 
a  boy  want?" 

"  A  boat  or  a  blunderbuss,"  laughed  his  mother ; 
"  't  is  Frederick's  sole  delight." 

"  A  soldier,"  said  Margaret,  thoughtfully,  though 
inwardly  she  prayed  he  'd  never  be  such  a  martinet 
as  his  father. 

Mistress  Brent  held  the  jewel  in  her  hand. 
"Do  you  remember  it,  Mary?  It  was  our  father's, 
he  wore  it  ever  at  his  collar ;  "  she  placed  the 
jewel,  an  amethyst  set  in  twisted  gold,  in  Mary's 
hand.  "  'T  is  fitting  it  should  be  worn  by  his  eldest 
grandson,  but,  Mary,  see  ye  keep  it  for  him,  and 
see  to  it,  thyself,  the  lad  is  told  of  the  deeds  of 
his  grandfather  who  wore  it,  much  of  his  brave, 


MISTRESS   BRENT  209 

loyal  life.  Teach  him  to  be  such  another  and  ye 
do  well." 

Mary  flushed  to  her  fair  hair.  She  knew  well 
what  lurked  under  Margaret's  words.  The  boy 
was  reared  as  his  father  would  have  him,  and  Cap- 
tain Rogers  had  many  a  tale  of  his  own  forbears, 
who  yet  shone  dimly  beside  the  ancestry  of  which 
the  Brents  could  boast.  "  I  will,  I  will !  "  prom- 
ised Mary  fervently,  and  then  the  two  women  fell 
into  talk,  wholesome  and  intimate, — talk  of  Mary's 
life  that  winter,  shut  in,  subdued ;  a  tale  of  the 
children's  pranks  or  Henry's  hunting  feats;  talk 
of  Margaret's  winter  days  in  St.  Mary's,  the  gossip 
of  the  neighbors  crowded  there,  the  tale  of  their 
affairs,  of  the  babes  new  born,  of  the  marriages 
within  the  settlement,  of  new  made  claims,  and  of 
those  who  might  venture  out  from  England  in  the 
spring. 

Margaret  held  strenuously  from  any  grave 
speech,  and  the  evening  sped  away. 

"  Faith,  I  must  be  gone,"  she  cried,  springing  to 
her  feet  and  spilling  the  children  in  such  fashion 
they  rolled  laughing  to  the  floor. 

"Madge,  we  never  see  thee,"  begged  Mary; 
"ye  come  and  go  like  a  flash,  and  so  seldom." 

"  Aye,  but  thou  knowest  I  am  not  lady  of  the 
manor  only,  but  manager  of  affairs  as  well,  and 
now  that  Jock  is  disabled,  —  why  cannot  ye  come 
14 


210  MISTRESS   BRENT 

and  visit  me?  What  is  to  keep  thee  from  it? 
Some  day  when  thy  husband  is  far  afield  take  thy 
boat,  or  let  me  know  and  I  will  send  hither." 

Mary  faltered  some  reply;  she  knew  she  must 
first  seek  her  husband's  permission,  and  she  knew 
that  for  her  to  take  the  babes  and  tarry  a  day, 
he  would  deem  it  monstrous,  though  he  tarried  oft 
himself  for  weeks. 

"  In  faith  I  grow  lonely  oft,  and,  Mary,  when  the 
other  babe  has  come," — poor  Mary  flushed  red 
again,  it  was  the  first  word  Margaret  had  said  of 
the  babe  who  must  soon  be  here,  — "  thou  must 
spare  me  Rosalind.  Wilt  be  auntie's  girl,  sweet- 
heart?" but  the  little  girl  held  back  at  that,  though 
she  followed  to  the  wharf  and  clung  about  her  till 
she  was  in  the  boat;  and  Mistress  Margaret  look- 
ing often  back  saw  her  there,  a  thin,  childish  figure 
showing  bright  against  the  gray  wharf  and  silvery 
river.  Her  mother  stood  by  her,  the  boy  clinging 
to  her  skirts. 

And  Margaret  tilted  her  firm  chin  and  drew 
long  breaths  of  the  invigorating  air.  She  felt  as 
though  she.  had  been  in  prison  and  her  spirit,  freed, 
could  sail  and  circle  with  the  gulls  overhead. 

Musing  thus  she  forgot  her  new-born  wish  to 
master  the  sailing  of  her  canoe  and  sat  with 
thoughtful  eyes  as  the  boat,  heeled  to  the  fresh 
wind  blowing  as  the  tide  came  in,  skimmed 


MISTRESS   BRENT  211 

homeward,  for  which  forgetfulness  her  man  was 
thankful. 

As  he  trimmed  the  sail  for  the  wharf  of  St. 
Anne's  the  prow  of  a  great  ship  came  into  view 
around  the  point.  Mistress  Brent  sprang  to  her 
feet  and  the  boat  lurched  wildly. 

"Faith!"  she  cried,  hysterically,  "'tis  of  Eng- 
land; how  came  it  to  St.  Mary's  without  our 
knowledge?  " 

"  It  must  have  sailed  by  us  in  the  night-time," 
said  the  man. 

"  And  there  is  news  from  England,  from  my 
Lord  Proprietor;  mayhap  the  governor  hath  re- 
turned. Put  the  sail  about,  she  may  pass  us  by. 
I  must  have  the  news !  "  her  eager  eyes  flew  to 
the  tiller  and  the  sail  as  the  men  put  both  about. 
The  ship  loomed  clearer.  "  Methinks  it  is  the 
'  Elizabeth,' "  declared  Mistress  Brent  after  long 
scrutiny. 

The  men  with  her  assented.  They  had  both 
crossed  the  seas  in  the  "  Elizabeth  "  with  Mistress 
Brent,  and  knew  every  rope  and  sail  of  the  great 
ship. 

"  In  good  faith  it  is,  and  well  come,  too.  There 
will  be  tidings  from  England  and  the  stores  which 
I  did  order  likewise,  and  the  tobacco  is  all  ready 
for  the  lading.  We  will  make  for  our  own  wharf- 
age ;  she  will  shortly  be  there.  I  '11  not  have  the 


212  MISTRESS    BRENT 

sailors  who  handle  my  merchandise  think  me 
unmannerly." 

But  Mistress  Brent  waited  the  captain  im- 
patiently. He  came,  as  she  knew,  brimful  of  news, 
news  of  England,  where  the  king's  affairs  pros- 
pered not,  though,  what  mattered  most  to  Mis- 
tress Brent  and  all  others  of  Maryland,  the 
governor  had  come  again  to  St.  Mary's,  sailing 
in  his  own  good  ship,  the  "  Elizabeth." 

News  of  St.  Mary's.  Giles  had  but  returned 
from  his  jauntings  and  reconnoitrings,  and  the 
governor  was  well  pleased  at  finding  the  affairs 
of  the  settlement  so  well  in  hand. 

The  shrewd  captain  had  sailed  back  and  forth 
for  the  eight  years  of  the  settlement's  growth,  and 
he  knew  its  affairs  as  he  knew  his  own ;  and  he  had 
fallen  quick  into  Captain  Giles's  humor,  the  thing 
for  which  he  had  worn  him  thin  and  for  which 
he  had  watched  the  river  as  if  for  the  sail  of 
one  beloved.  He  would  have  the  governor  home 
again  and  begone  at  once  to  conquer  Kent,  and 
Calvert  himself  hastened  the  expedition. 

The  captain  knew,  too,  and  hesitated  not  to  tell 
the  Mistress  of  St.  Anne's,  that  the  goodly  prov- 
ince of  Maryland  might  shortly  be  all  the  Lord 
Proprietor  might  claim  of  his  possessions,  and  that 
the  manor  of  St.  John's  might  be,  indeed,  his  dwell- 
ing-place, and  the  governor  had  orders  to  keep  all 


MISTRESS   BRENT  213 

in  readiness.  The  Proprietor  with  his  household 
might  come  hither  at  any  day.  Calvert  must  hold 
the  affairs  of  the  province  well  in  hand. 

All  this  and  much  more  he  told  her,  as  the 
men  unloaded  her  stores.  Seafaring  tales  of  West 
Indian  hurricane  and  coast  gates  which  had  de- 
layed them;  tales  of  fierce  battles  and  loss  of 
men's  lives  whom  Mistress  Brent  had  well  known ; 
wild  tales  of  cruel  vengeance  till  she  looked  shud- 
deringly  about  her  and  thanked  God  she  had 
already  taken  refuge  here,  she  and  hers ;  tales 
of  London  and  the  poor  trading  there,  for  people 
were  wild  with  fear;  of  these  he  gossiped  as  the 
great  ship  lay  at  the  wharf  of  St.  Anne's  and  the 
captain  was  an  honored  guest  in  the  manor-house. 

And  the  sailors  unloaded  their  stuffs :  cloth  for 
the  servants'  wear,  shoes  and  hosiery,  brown  cloth 
and  half-and-half  and  coarse  linens  and  cottons, 
hoes  and  axes  and  plow  points  for  the  farming, 
sugar  and  molasses  bought  in  West  Indian  ports, 
and  gin  and  rum  and  wine  of  Madeira,  an  oaken 
chest  filled  with  fine  wear  for  my  lady  of  the 
manor,  —  full-trimmed  skirts  and  flowered  petti- 
coats and  bodices  of  the  latest  device  and  laces. 

Sarah  and  Lucy  and  Mistress  Margaret  herself 
were  agog  with  talk  of  the  new  fashions  as  the 
dresses  were  unfolded  from  their  wrappings,  and 
Mistress  Margaret  seizing  an  idle  hour  arrayed 


2i4  MISTRESS   BRENT 

herself  in  them.  The  skirts  were  not  so  sweeping 
nor  so  full  as  those  of  the  year  before,  they  found, 
nor  the  farthingales  so  high  and  stiff;  here  was 
even  a  collar  of  rich  soft  lace  that  lay  low  on  the 
neck  and  bared  the  throat,  and  the  sleeves  were 
puffed  out  but  wondrously  trimmed. 

Here  were  slippers  high-heeled  and  buckled, 
and  ribbons  of  sarsenet  or  lute,  and  handkerchiefs 
which  were  but  meshes  of  dainty  lace,  and  per- 
fumed gloves ;  and  here  were  the  corals  she  had 
ordered  for  Rosalind,  pink  and  carved  beauteously 
they  were ;  here  was  a  silver  tankard,  she  would 
give  it  to  Mistress  Hawley,  willy  nilly,  and  here 
at  the  very  bottom  of  the  chest  was  a  thing  to 
make  her  cry  out  with  delight,  a  sweeping  cloak 
of  beaver,  soft  as  down  and  thick  set  as  velvet, 
that  shone  golden  in  the  sunlight  and  shaded 
brown  as  her  sweet-cured  tobacco  leaves  in  the 
shadow.  She  had  had  Giles  and  the  governor 
choose  the  skins  for  her,  and  they  had  been  nigh 
three  years  selecting  them. 

A  whole  delighted  day  she  spent  amongst  her 
gauds  and  finery,  forgetful  of  Maryland's  and  Eng- 
land's woes  alike. 

Slippers  must  be  matched  to  gloves,  and  ribbons 
to  both ;  this  new  fastening  must  be  experimented 
with  and  this  new  ornament  tried.  This  gown, 
now,  this  ball  gown  she  had  ordered  when  she 


MISTRESS   BRENT  215 

writ  her  merchant  in  London;  she  bit  her  red 
lip}  —  did  the  ladies  of  the  town  go  so  attired  ?  in 
truth  this  bodice  was  but  a  hand's  breadth !  The 
skirt  scarce  swept  the  floor  behind  and  showed  her 
slipper  tips  before,  this  soft  creamy  silk  with  its 
full  flounce  at  the  hem  deeply  broidered  in  curious 
designs  of  scarlet  threads,  scarlet  and  gold  thick 
intermingled.  But  the  bodice!  she  held  it  won- 
dering. "  Surely  there  must  be  something  else, 
some  drapery  of  silk  or  lace?"  she  questioned. 

"  'T  is  just  as  it  was  packed,"  declared  Sarah, 
"  each  piece  to  piece  as  they  must  be  worn."  She 
went  to  the  bedside  and  lovingly  fingered  lace  and 
ribbon.  "  Mayhap  'twas  this,"  she  said  doubtfully 
as  she  lifted  a  scarf  of  lace  so  fine  Mistress  Mar- 
garet could  crush  it  in  her  hand,  or  yet  swing  it 
many  an  arm's  length  had  she  so  minded. 

"  Aye,  I  '11  try  it."  Mistress  Margaret  dis- 
robed herself  and  slipped  into  the  glistening  skirt 
of  silk  and  the  tiny  bodice,  stiff-boned.  She  glanced 
down  at  her  bare  arms  and  bust  as  Sarah  bent  to 
lace  it;  against  the  creamy  tint  of  the  silk  they 
shone  white  as  ivory.  She  took  the  lace  from 
Sarah's  hands  and  draped  it  about  the  bust  where 
the  bodice  ended  and  knotted  it  loosely  in  front, 
but  the  lacy  meshes  marred  the  fair  embroidery 
of  the  vest. 

"  You  '11  e'en  have  to  wear  it  as  it  is,"  declared 


2i6  MISTRESS   BRENT 

Sarah ;    "  if  it  were  not  proper,  they  would  not 
have  sent  it." 

"  Fashion  must  have  gone  far  lengths  there ; 
when  I  was  in  London  one's  ruff  turned  high  as 
the  coils  on  one's  head.  Hand  me  the  mirror, 
Lucy."  She  took  it  from  her  maid's  hands  and 
looked  long  and  curiously. 

The  door  opened  behind  her  but  she  heard  it 
not.  "  Faith !  "  broke  in  a  deep,  quick  voice. 

Mistress  Margaret  jumped  until  the  mirror  well 
nigh  fell  from  her  hand.  "  Giles,"  she  cried,  "  la ! 
an  I  had  broken  the  mirror  seven  years  of  ill  luck 
would  have  come  upon  St.  Anne's ;  what  a  fright 
thou  hast  given  me !  "  She  came  quickly  and 
eagerly  to  him.  There  in  the  hall  another  waited, 
tall,  soldierly,  erect,  a  look  of  expectancy  on  his 
fair  face. 

"  The  governor !  "  cried  Mistress  Brent,  forget- 
ful in  a  moment  of  her  strange  attire.  "  How 
came  ye  upon  us  so  suddenly?"  she  asked, 
when  she  had  given  him  fair  greeting  and  her 
brother  likewise. 

"  Suddenly !  "  laughed  Giles ;  "  we  came  with 
the  captain  to  the  door  and  there  was  talking 
loud  enough.  I  looked  to  see  you  every  moment ; 
the  captain  said  you  were  within  the  house,  but 
it  lay  deserted.  I  heard  the  voices  in  your 
chamber,  and  though  I  knocked,  yet  the  voices 


MISTRESS   BRENT  217 

went  on,  and  I  ventured  within,  and  thou  — "  he 
broke  again  into  laughter,  and  Mistress  Brent, 
brought  to  sudden  consciousness  of  self,  flushed 
from  bare  shoulder  to  curly  hair. 

The  governor  spoke  quickly  to  cover  her  con- 
fusion and  vexation. 

"  'T  is  a  beauteous  dress  ye  wear,  such  an  one 
as  I  saw  on  my  sister  for  the  Christmas  festiv- 
ities," he  said,  speaking  courteously  and  sedately 
enough,  though  his  eyes  shone  with  pleasure 
at  the  vision  he  had  come  upon.  There  in  the 
cool  hall  where  the  tapestry  shook  lightly  upon 
the  wall,  and  the  shadows  of  the  oaks  flickered 
without,  where  the  river  shimmered  afar  and  the 
green  edge  of  the  forest  peeped  through  the  vista 
in  the  rear,  there  in  the  simplicity  of  his  provincial 
life  shone  the  fairest  thing  his  eye  had  rested  on 
in  town  or  castle  or  court,  the  fairest  woman,  the 
wisest  counsellor,  and  truest  friend ;  though  the 
governor's  heart  grew  hot  and  impatient  at  that 
word  of  friend.  He  had  returned  to  Maryland 
resolved  that  the  high  hand  his  brother  counselled 
in  the  government's  affairs  should  be  used  in  his 
private  doings  as  well.  He  was  aweary  of  waiting 
and  patience  &a&  friendship* 

But  Mistress  Brent  was  thinking  now  of  his 
speech  about  her  gown.  She  turned  to  him 
eagerly. 


218  MISTRESS    BRENT 

"Is  it  such  a  fashion  as  they  wear  in  truth? 
such  a  skirt?"  she  turned  slowly,  "and  such  a 
bodice?"  though  the  flame  flickered  again  in  her 
cheek  as  she  thought  on  the  scantiness  of  it 

"  Save  for  the  lace  upon  it,"  said  the  governor 
gravely,  though  his  eyes  danced  with  merriment. 
It  was  like  a  -play,  forsooth,  to  stop  for  but  a  word 
with  Mistress  Brent,  whom  he  had  hoped  to  find 
in  his  own  home  on  his  return,  to  leave  the  gun- 
mounted  deck  of  his  ship  where  arms  were  stacked 
and  soldiers  stood  in  grim  readiness  and  come  on 
this  peaceful  scene  and  this  brilliant  figure  in  the 
heart  of  it. 

"  But  about  the  neck,"  added  the  governor,  "  a 
band  of  velvet  and  such  an  ornament  as  this," 
and  then  for  the  first  time  Margaret  noted  a  tiny 
package  on  the  table. 

The  governor  opened  it  quickly  and  took  from 
thence  a  band  of  velvet  scarce  a  finger's  width 
in  breadth  and  on  it  fastened  a  ruby  heart;  he 
turned  the  jewel  to  show  her  the  gold  plate  at 
its  back  engraved  with  the  Calvert  arms.  "  Words 
are  feminine,  deeds  masculine,"  he  quoted,  trans- 
lating freely  the  Latin  inscription  written  in 
minute  characters  beneath  it,  and  Giles,  a  quizzical 
smile  twitching  at  his  lips,  turned  away  to  search 
for  the  captain,  who  lingered  without. 

Calvert,    with    fingers    that    shook    somewhat, 


MISTRESS   BRENT  219 

stooped  to  fasten  it  about  her  throat,  and  when 
he  had  snapped  the  band  in  place  Mistress 
Margaret  felt  another  touch  than  finger-tips 
upon  her  neck,  a  touch  that  was  hot  and 
passionate  and  stung  her  from  head  to  foot. 

The  governor  had  not  dared  —  but  the  governor 
was  a  bolder  man  than  he  who  had  sailed  to 
England  in  the  autumn.  To  his  prudence  and 
caution  and  long-suffering  had  been  added  some- 
thing of  his  brother's  fiery  energy  and  supple 
policy.  Would  he  hold  Maryland  against  all 
odds,  he  would  hold,  likewise,  the  fairest  thing 
within  her  bounds. 

"  Thou  wilt  pardon  me,"  he  said  gravely,  bow- 
ing, "  't  was  no  more  than  a  kiss  on  thy  hand,  fair 
cousin,"  he  lifted  her  hand  gallantly,  "  and  that 
thou  wilt  grant  me  in  farewell ;  "  he  bent  and 
kissed  it  ere  Mistress  Brent  had  time  to  vent 
her  anger  or  to  say  more  in  her  astonishment. 

"  Surely  thou  goest  not  now  !  " 

"  E'en  now ;  we  Ve  lost  a  good  two  hours,  so 
Giles  would  tell  thee,  and  when  one  goes  a 
soldiering  such  loitering  comes  amiss.  He'd 
have  me  sail  by  St.  Anne's  without  a  greeting, 
but  St.  Anne's  hath  a  magnet;  scarce  can  it  be 
passed.  Once  before,  an  ye  recall  it,  I  tarried  as 
I  passed;  'twas  to  thy  help,  mayhap  thy  salva- 
tion, and  now  — "  he  paused,  let  fall  the  hand  he 


220  MISTRESS   BRENT 

held,  and  picked  up  his  hat.  "  Captain  Brent," 
he  called. 

Giles  wheeled  in  the  doorway  where  he  talked 
with  the  captain. 

"  We  are  ready,"  said  the  governor  as  he  bowed 
low  to  Mistress  Margaret  and  passed  out. 

Giles  turned,  a  look  of  mischief  and  keen  in- 
quiry alike  flashing  in  his  hazel  eyes ;  his  sister's 
face,  puzzled,  astounded,  amused  him. 

"  Mayhap  she  may  come  upon  something  she 
thinks  not  of,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  The  governor 
is  another  man ;  she  '11  not  whisk  him  hither  and 
thither,  blow  hot,  blow  cold ;  "  but  to  that  sister 
he  was  bidding  a  quick  adieu,  with  the  warning 
that  he  would  come  again,  "  Giles  Brent,  Com- 
mander of  Kent." 


XIV 

MISTRESS  MARGARET  stood  still  in 
the  hall  where  her  brother  had  left 
her.  The  golden  light  of  the  late 
afternoon  sifted  through  the  oaks  on  lawn  and 
pathway  and  fell  in  long  slanting  beams  on  the 
men  walking  hastily  down  it,  —  the  governor,  erect, 
assured,  as  Mistress  Brent  had  never  seen  him ; 
Giles,  quick  and  eager;  the  captain,  lazily  good- 
natured.  She  watched  them  down  the  stairway, 
heard  the  creaking  of  the  sails  as  the  sailors 
loosed  them  to  the  wind  ere  she  turned  away. 
A  vexed  thoughtfulness  was  on  her  face. 

"  Here,  Lucy,"  she  called,  "  unloose  me  from 
this  masquerading. 

"  Sarah,  see  to  the  arranging  of  the  things 
within  the  store-room,  Jock  —  " 

"  Jock  will  be  abroad  to-morrow,"  said  Sarah, 
proudly;  but  Mistress  Margaret,  spite  of  her 
warm  solicitude  for  her  overseer,  had  no  word  of 
joy.  Sarah  looked  upon  her  astonished,  but  see- 
ing the  absorbed  look  on  her  face  turned  away. 


222  MISTRESS    BRENT 

Lucy  with  soft  touch  unloosed  the  tiny  bodice 
and  lifted  the  gleaming  skirt  above  her  mistress's 
dark  head  and  arrayed  her  in  the  paduasoy  she 
had  worn  ere  the  fascinating  trial  of  her  new 
wardrobe. 

"What  shall  be  done  with  these?"  asked  the 
maid. 

"  Put  them  back  again,"  said  her  mistress, 
carelessly. 

"  Put  them  back,"  muttered  Lucy ;  "  she  speaks 
as  careless  as  if  —  as  if — "  she  could  find  no 
simile,  but  turned  to  a  delighted  fingering  of 
gowns  and  ribbons  and  laces,  and  a  slow  folding 
of  them  together  and  replacing  of  them  in  the 
oaken  chest;  but  Mistress  Margaret  went  out 
into  the  hall  as  one  who,  thinking  deeply,  saw  not 
the  things  about  her.  She  wandered  down  the 
pathway  to  the  bluff.  There  at  the  wharf  lay  the 
great  English  ship ;  there  down  the  river,  her  white 
sails  bellying  in  the  evening  winds,  sailed  the 
governor's  vessel,  the  lowering  sun  struck  bright 
flashes  against  the  stacked  arms  and  mounted 
guns  upon  the  deck,  and  there  in  the  bow  was  a 
gleam  of  gold  and  scarlet,  she  knew  it  for  the 
dress  of  the  governor. 

Her  gray  eyes  watched  the  fast-running  tide 
wistfully,  the  wide  beach  bared  by  the  low  waves, 
the  hazy  line  of  opposite  shore,  the  curve  of  the 


MISTRESS    BRENT  223 

land  far  up  where  the  forest  massed  all  shades 
of  green  in  its  fresh  budding;  the  few  short 
moments  she  lingered  seemed  hours,  so  heavy 
was  her  absorption,  but  suddenly  she  was  roused 
by  a  song  sung  carelessly. 

"  It  was  a  lover  and  his  lass, 
With  a  hey  and  a  ho,  and  a  heynonino ! 
That  o'er  the  green  cornfield  did  pass 
In  the  spring-time,  the  only  pretty  ring-time 
When  birds  do  sing,  hey  ding  a  ding : 
Sweet  lovers  love  the  spring. 

"  Therefore  take  the  present  time, 
With  a  hey  and  a  ho,  and  a  heynonino ! 
For  love  is  crowned  with  the  prime 
In  spring-time,  the  only  ring-time 
When  birds  do  sing,  hey  ding  a  ding : 
Sweet  lovers  love  the  spring." 

She  looked  down  quickly ;  the  sailor  was  eying 
her  curiously,  and  Mistress  Brent  was  suddenly 
conscious  that  the  ship  waited  its  lading  and  the 
captain  had  signified  his  eagerness  to  be  gone. 
He  had  finished  unloading  her  stores  an  hour 
or  more  ago.  She  was  her  practical  self  once 
more. 

On  the  morrow,  and  many  days  after,  she  was 
hurried.  The  tobacco  was  already  in  hogsheads 
under  the  sheds :  ropes  were  fastened  about  them 
and  the  men  began  the  busy  rolling  of  them 
to  the  wharf,  down  through  the  fields,  along  the 


224  MISTRESS   BRENT 

easy  slope  beyond  the  lawn  to  the  wide,  firm 
beach  and  the  great  hold  of  the  ship. 

Mistress  Margaret  could  see  them  from  the 
living-room,  where  she  sat  making  up  accounts, 
making  out  bills  of  lading,  writing  letters  to 
London  tradesmen  and  orders  of  stores  to  be 
delivered.  There  was  no  time  for  idle  dreaming, 
only  quick  work  for  clear  brain  and  clever  hand. 

The  ship  was  soon  ready  for  her  sailing,  and 
soon,  too,  the  wharf  lay  deserted,  after  the  busy 
life  centred  there ;  still  there  was  no  news  from 
Kent. 

Mistress  Margaret  found  herself  wildly  impatient. 
She  drove  the  servants  on  the  manor  mercilessly. 
From  dawn  to  dusk  she  was  abroad.  The  sickle 
of  the  new  moon  showed  aright  and  the  chestnut 
leaves  were  big  as  squirrels'  ears ;  it  was  just  the 
time  the  Indians  had  taught  them  for  planting  of 
the  maize ;  it  could  not  be  done  swiftly  enough. 

The  men  and  women  grew  sullen  over  the  long 
hours  bending  over  the  corn  rows  under  the  hot 
spring  sun.  Never  had  Mistress  Brent  proven 
a  hard  mistress  till  now.  They  cast  sidelong, 
resentful  glances  at  the  stiff,  resolute,  little  figure 
on  Brown  Bess,  who  haunted  the  fields,  and  who, 
did  they  but  know  it,  was  holding  herself  far  more 
sternly  in  check  than  she  held  them,  and  was  driven 
by  the  war  within  herself  to  urge  them  on. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  225 

Yet  the  servants  made  many  a  wish  that  Jock 
was  well  again,  and  were  glad  enough  to  have  his 
white  face  amongst  them. 

"  Gadzooks  !  "  one  of  them  swore,  "  an  Mistress 
Brent  had  the  working  of  us  in  the  tobacco  plant- 
ing, we  'd  ne'er  have  stood  it."  And  they  were 
heedful  of  Jock's  every  word,  and  wrought  dili- 
gently though  the  overseer  rested  often  at  the  cool 
edge  of  the  forest,  nor  had  they  word  of  jest  for 
Sarah's  anxious  face  when  she  came  cosseting 
him  with  helpful  drink  or  food. 

They  had  only  grown  to  dread  the  gleam  of 
Brown  Bess's  satin  skin  or  the  shine*  of  Mistress 
Brent's  riding-gown.  Then,  happily,  there  came 
at  last  news  from  Kent,  —  a  letter  brought  by 
the  fellow  who  had  come  with  ill  tidings  to 
St.  Mary's. 

Mistress  Margaret  was  afield  when  they  sought 
her  with  it.  She  had  grown  well  nigh  weary  of 
waiting  and  watching  with  nerves  ajangle,  and 
had  fallen  into  a  dogged  resolution  of  patience. 

She  was  talking  to  Jock  where  he  rested  under 
a  huge  chestnut-tree  of  the  tobacco  planting  which 
must  soon  begin,  of  how  the  plants  throve  in  their 
bed,  and  what  method  of  transplanting  would  suit 
them  best,  and  how  the  soil  had  been  prepared. 

The  corn  was  near  done.  The  women  in  their 
loose  shifts  of  coarse  blue  linen  worked  easily;  the 


226  MISTRESS    BRENT 

men,  bare-armed  and  bare-footed,  wrought  by  their 
side.  The  air  was  clear,  crisp,  invigorating ;  labor 
was  no  task  under  such  a  sky.  By  and  by,  as  the 
summer  days  sped  by  and  .the  sun  waxed  blazing 
hot,  and  the  sultry,  close  days  came  upon  them, 
they  would  go  about  their  work  gasping  and  well 
nigh  spent;  but  now,  with  the  sky  bright  blue 
above  them,  and  all  the  vast  space  betwixt  the  blue 
arch  above  and  the  earth  beneath  filled  with  cool, 
soft  winds,  while  the  crows  circled  lustily  overhead 
and  the  buzzards  sailed  lazily  far  above,  they  bent 
to  their  tasks  willingly. 

Brown  Bess  was  crunching  at  the  green  twigs 
near  and  Mistress  Margaret  pulled  idly  at  the  pink 
wild  roses  she  had  gathered. 

"There  comes  Sarah  along  the  pathway,"  she 
said,  as  she  rose  to  her  feet  from  the  log  on  which 
she  had  been  sitting  and  sprang  into  her  saddle ; 
"  belike  she  hath  a  pannikin  of  ale  for  thee.  Ye 
must  soon  be  well  under  such  ministering."  She 
turned  Brown  Bess  about.  "  Aye,"  she  said  to 
herself,  "  there  she  comes,  and  who  would  have 
thought  on  it  a  year  agone?  Not  I,  in  faith  !  I  'd 
have  sworn  Sarah  had  no  thought  save  of  my  own 
service.  So  do  we  deceive  ourselves,  in  truth ;  no 
sooner  do  we  begin  to  dream  ourselves  necessary 
to  any  than  —  " 

She   was   abreast   of   Sarah's   stout   figure   and 


MISTRESS    BRENT  227 

honest  face,  and  Sarah's  blue  eyes  were  wide  open 
and  eager. 

"  I  sought  ye,  Mistress  Margaret,"  she  began, 
quickly,  "  and  saw  ye  in  the  field ;  and  I  thought 
I  'd  e'en  bring  Jock  a  draught  of  ale  as  I  came," 
she  said,  apologizing  for  the  tankard  which  she 
bore.  She  placed  it  on  the  ground  and  began  to 
feel  in  the  folds  of  her  bodice. 

"  'Fore  God,  I  trust  I  have  not  lost  it.  Ah !  " 
she  drew  out  a  thick,  folded  letter. 

"  From  whence?"  gasped  Mistress  Brent,  as  she 
snatched  it  from  her. 

"  T  is  the  seal  of  the  Brents ;  James  did  bring 
it  hither." 

But  Mistress  Margaret  heeded  her  not.  She 
was  tearing  at  the  seal  and  shaking  out  the  long 
folds  of  the  letter.  Her  eye  fell  first  on  the  signa- 
ture, "  Giles  Brent,  Commander  of  Kent." 

"  Please  God,"  she  cried,  with  a  laugh  that  was 
half  a  sob,  "  they  have  won." 

"  And  Captain  Giles,"  pleaded  Sarah,  breathless 
for  news,  as  her  mistress  had  been. 

"All  is  well,  all  is  well  with  him!"  Then 
Mistress  Brent  flashed  her  an  impatient  glance. 
"James  hath  already  told  thee.  What,"  she 
could  laugh  merrily  with  the  letter  and  with  such 
news  safe  in  her  hands,  "  thou  hast  not  gossiped  with 
him.  Get  ye  gone  to  Jock  and  tell  him  the  tale." 


228  MISTRESS    BRENT 

She  struck  the  mare  sharply.  She  would  reach 
the  privacy  of  her  chamber  and  read  at  leisure; 
words  swam  before  her  eyes  here  in  this  hot  sun- 
shine. Within  the  cool  room  she  spread  it  out 
and  read  thus: 

Giles  Brent,  Commander  of  Kent,  to  his  sister  Mis- 
tress Margaret  Brent  of  St.  Anne's  Manor,  — 

Greeting. 

Whereas  we  did  purpose  long  ago  to  send  ye  news  of 
us,  and  whereas  now  after  long  delay,  more  than  we 
had  thought  on,  we  are  peaceably  settled  once  more  in 
our  manor  of  South  Fort,  where  the  governor  and  the 
soldiers  who  did  company  us  are  our  guests  and  we  are 
more  at  leisure,  we  do  at  once  despatch  our  trusty  servant 
to  thee  with  these  tidings. 

The  winds  being  baffling  and  contrary  when  we  did 
leave  ye,  our  coming  to  Kent  was  somewhat  delayed ; 
that  night  and  day  and  night  again  we  beat  about  the 
bay,  'til  we  and  those  with  us  were  most  impatient,  for 
ye  must  know  we  were  anxious  about  many  things.  Was 
the  man  Ingle  yet  upon  the  isle,  we  wished  to  know, 
with  the  great  ship  of  which  our  trusty  servant  did  tell 
us  ?  Then  must  there  be  fight,  we  knew ;  and  while  we 
were  in  readiness  for  it  and  no  man  doubted  the  issue, 
so  resolved  were  we  to  win,  yet  I  did  misdoubt  me  but 
what  the  governor  thought  on  those  sad  affairs  which 
befell  early  in  the  settlement  of  the  province,  when  the 
men  of  St.  Mary's  and  the  men  of  Kent  met  in  their 


MISTRESS   BRENT 


229 


pinnaces  on  that  stream  which  the  natives  do  call  the 
Wicomico  and  there  closed  in  bloody  fight  whereby 
several  men  were  slain. 

And  while  the  governor  hath  a  valiant  heart  and  a 
most  excellent  understanding  of  soldiery,  methinks  he 
dreads  the  fighting  'mongst  ourselves,  and  would  always 
use  peaceable  means  an  it  were  possible,  though  he 
was  ready  to  fight,  and  looked  with  his  own  hands 
to  the  priming  of  the  guns  and  the  fittings  of  the 
weapons. 

Yet  were  we  glad  when,  coming  upon  the  fort  in  the 
early  dawn,  we  found  the  wharf  deserted  save  for  the 
small  craft  of  the  islanders.  Nor  were  any  about  when 
we  landed,  so  we  were  able  to  force  the  gate  and  post 
our  men  about  their  magazine  and  block-house,  and  send 
other  forces  against  the  settlers  without  ere  they  were 
yet  astir. 

Coming  upon  them  thus  they  found  resistance  useless, 
and  have  once  more  come  within  our  sway ;  though,  in 
truth,  their  allegiance  looks  somewhat  half-hearted,  and 
methinks  't  will  be  so  for  many  days ;  still  we  have  them 
now,  and,  having,  will  hold. 

Then  the  governor  leaving  most  of  his  soldiers  here 
would  fain  go  on  to  Palmer's  Isle  and  have  me  go  with 
him. 

I  had  not  before  set  foot  on  that  small  island,  set  most 
opportunely  in  the  wide  river's  mouth,  as  if  Providence 
had  placed  thereby  a  check  upon  the  great  savages  who 
have  their  villages  upon  its  banks. 


230  MISTRESS   BRENT 

The  soldiers  there  were  truly  most  glad  to  see  us,  for 
they  had  lived  in  exile  and  led  a  lonely  life  within  the 
wilderness,  and  some  did  beseech  the  governor  to  let 
them  return  and  leave  others  in  their  stead ;  and  to 
those  who  did  have  mothers  or  wives  or  other  ties 
within  the  settlement  the  governor  lent  a  listening 
ear. 

We  did  leave  the  garrison  in  good  shape.  It  con- 
sisteth  of  ten  choice  shots,  and  we  left  with  them  a  boat 
and  arms  and  ammunition,  and  provisions  and  all  things 
necessary,  thirty  pounds  of  powder,  one  hundred  pounds 
of  shot,  twenty  barrels  of  corn,  one  wherry  or  shallop, 
two  iron  pots,  one  pestle,  swords,  and  a  half  pike. 

They  are  well  housed  in  the  fort  which  Thomas  Smith 
of  unhappy  memory  had  builded. 

This  being  done  we  sailed  again  to  Kent,  where  the 
governor  tarries  to  hold  a  session  of  the  court  upon  the 
island  and  to  warn  them  to  have  ready  their  appoint- 
ment for  the  burgesses  to  the  next  house  of  Assembly, 
which  he  hath  already  notified  them  will  be  held  at  St. 
Mary's  some  time  within  the  fall  —  God  be  willing. 

I  have  writ  ye  thus  in  full,  knowing  your  anxiety  and 
your  great  interest  in  us. 

Ye  will  recall  my  last  words  in  the  hall  of  your  house 
of  St.  Anne's,  in  memory  of  them  I  now  subscribe  myself 
Thy  Brother 

GILES  BRENT,  Commander  of  Kent. 

The  governor  kisses  thy  hands,  and  would  fain  wait 
upon  thee  on  his  return  to  St.  Mary's. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  231 

Mistress  Brent  read  and  re-read,  and  then  blessed 
the  fates  that  made  of  her  brother  so  ready  a 
letter  writer. 

"  Faith,  he  hath  writ  to  the  point  and  most  con- 
cisely," she  told  herself;  and  she  rose  to  put  the 
letter  in  her  desk,  though  she  lingered  when  that 
was  done,  looking  out  the  window  to  the  shining 
river.  Affairs  in  Kent  settled  peaceably,  that  was 
as  the  governor  would  have  it ;  her  brother  rein- 
stated, she  gloried  in  it.  Palmer's  Isle  well  garri- 
soned, Kent  in  allegiance,  St.  Mary's  quieted,  — 
all  was  well  in  Maryland. 

Then  she  thought  again  on  the  last  sentence  of 
that  message,  written  hastily,  as  if  in  after-thought, 
"  The  governor  will  wait  upon  thee  on  his  return  to 
St.  Mary's,"  and  she  smiled  thoughtfully  with  the 
look  of  absorption  upon  her  face  which  had  set- 
tled often  there  in  the  weeks  since  the  governor's 
hasty  visit. 

She  watched  for  the  returning  pinnace  with 
no  thought  that  it  would  go  sailing  past  her, 
as  it  did.  Mistress  Margaret  was  moved  with 
wrath  that  he  who  complained  he  could  never 
sail  by  St.  Anne's  without  visiting  its  mistress, 
should  now,  after  so  long  an  absence,  and  after 
so  adventurous  an  expedition,  sail  calmly  onward. 

But  the  governor  had  hasted  too  soon  from  St. 
Mary's  after  his  long  stay  overseas.  He  knew  it. 


232  MISTRESS   BRENT 

There  was  much  to  be  done  there,  and  then  he 
would  come  pleasuring  to  St.  Anne's. 

Mistress  Margaret's  anger  had  time  to  wax  and 
wane  ere  that  time  should  come. 

The  pale-green  corn  shoots  showed  well  in  the 
fields,  and  the  tobacco  plants  grew  lustily  and  un- 
folded velvety  leaves  over  the  rich  earth,  the  oaks 
were  thick  set  with  foliage,  and  Sarah's  roses  were 
abloom,  ere  such  time  came;  and  Mistress  Margaret 
was  ready  to  greet  him  gladly  and  add  some  words 
of  chiding,  words  which  it  joyed  him  to  hear. 

He  must  tell  her  all  of  his  Kentish  venture,  she 
declared,  of  the  expedition  to  Palmer's  Isle  and 
the  garrison  life  there ;  but  first,  he  besought  her 
to  go  with  him  to  Captain  Rogers.  He  had  not 
seen  him  since  his  coming  from  England;  there 
was  business  concerning  his  hundred  he  would 
ask  him  of. 

It  tickled  Mistress  Brent  to  the  top  of  her  mis- 
chievous humor  to  note  the  courtesy  with  which 
her  brother-in-law  received  them. 

The  governor's  pinnace  was  well  known  upon 
the  river  and  had  been  already  espied.  Captain 
Rogers  waited  them  with  due  ceremony  upon  his 
wharf,  and  handed  Mistress  Margaret  ashore  with 
much  stateliness. 

Mistress  Rogers  was  within  her  room,  he  re- 
gretted she  was  unable  to  greet  him;  mayhap 


MISTRESS   BRENT  233 

Mistress  Brent  would  visit  her  there,  and  Mistress 
Brent,  glad  enow  to  leave  them  to  their  own  affairs, 
sought  her  sister. 

Mary's  cheek  was  flushed  and  her  eyes  alight. 
There  had  been  rumors  before  of  Margaret's 
attractions  for  her  cousin,  Leonard  Calvert,  but 
never  so  strong  as  now,  when  it  was  known  he  had 
even  stopped  his  Kentish  expedition  to  visit  her, 
and  had  come  again  soon  as  he  well  could  leave 
St.  Mary's.  Yet,  though  she  tingled  to  speak  of 
it,  Mary  was  ever  in  awe  of  her  older  sister  and 
dared  say  no  word  directly ;  though  Margaret  was 
well  aware  of  her  questioning  look  and  eager  alert- 
ness. But  she  made  no  sign,  enjoying  instead 
Mary's  bright  talk  and,  when  she  was  again  with 
him,  Captain  Rogers's  hospitality. 

"  Faith,  Mary,"  she  declared,  as  she  made  ready 
to  depart,  "  never  have  I  paid  thee  a  visit  more 
pleasant,  though  I  would  my  brother-in-law  had 
let  the  children  be  with  us  and  had  not  sent  them 
so  safe  away  to  the  servants'  quarters  ere  we  had 
come.  I  must  see  them  ere  we  go,  they  are  still 
busily  talking."  She  listened  a  moment  to  Cap- 
tain Rogers's  brisk  tones  and  the  governor's  low, 
deliberate  speech,  and  then  sped  away  across  the 
yard  to  the  back  where  cabins  and  stables  were 
crowded  in  the  palisade.  Rosalind  shrieked  with 
delight  when  she  saw  her. 


234  MISTRESS    BRENT 

"  Auntie,  auntie  !  "  she  cried ;  "  father  said  we 
could  not  bother  thee,  thou  wouldst  not  be  think- 
ing of  us !  " 

"  Thinking  of  ye,  indeed  !  "  blazed  Mistress  Mar- 
garet, "  I  ever  am.  Now,  come  and  see,"  she 
seated  herself  in  the  low  flag  chair,  "  see  what 
auntie  hath  for  thee,  't  is  e'en  from  overseas,  't  was 
brought  in  the  great  big  ship  which  was  at  her 
wharf,"  Mistress  Brent  went  on  to  the  delighted 
child  who  cuddled  close  to  her  and  watched  with 
wide-open  eyes  her  aunt  unfastening  the  chate- 
laine at  her  side. 

"  Now,  did  I  not  promise  thee?"  She  unfastened 
a  jewel  casket  she  took  therefrom,  and  Rosa- 
lind gasped  and  could  find  no  words  for  her 
delight.  There  on  the  blue  satin  lay  the  carved 
coral  pin  for  her  throat  and  rings  for  her  ears, 
carved  in  leaves  and  rose  petals  even  to  the 
stem. 

Mistress  Brent  caught  Rosalind's  loose  gown 
with  the  pin  and  hung  the  rings  on  the  tops  of 
her  small  pink  ears.  "  There,"  she  cried  delight- 
edly, "  run  show  them  to  mamma." 

"  Father  said  we  must  not  leave  here  'til  he  be 
gone !  "  said  the  child,  hanging  back. 

Mistress  Brent  fairly  stamped  with  vexation, 
but  she  caught  Rosalind  in  her  arms  and  held 
her  high  so  that  Mary  could  see  her,  and  then, 


MISTRESS   BRENT  235 

the  imp  of  perversity  seizing  her,  she  called 
loudly : 

"  Cousin  Calvert,  Cousin  Calvert !  "  She  saw 
the  governor  come  to  the  door  and  look  wonder- 
ingly  about  him. 

"  Come  hither,"  she  called,  "  I  would  have 
thee  see  my  fair  niece  and  nephew ; "  and  the 
governor,  catching  sight  of.  her  lithe  figure 
and  piquant  face,  walked  quickly  across  the 
yard. 

Captain  Rogers,  angered  to  the  depths,  for  Mis- 
tress Brent  had  cut  short  some  wise  words  where- 
with he  was  seeking  to  impress  the  governor, 
slowly  followed. 

Margaret  caught  Rosalind,  bejewelled,  in  her 
arms.  "  Now,  is  she  not  the  winsomest  maid  in 
all  thy  province  ?  " 

"  I  dare  not  say  thee  nay." 

Calvert  laughed  as  he  caressed  the  little  maid 
hiding  coyly  against  her  auntie's  shoulder. 

"  And  this  fellow,"  he  called  to  the  boy,  "  how 
strong  and  sturdy  he  looks,  and  a  soldier  already;" 
he  saw  the  wooden  gun,  rough  fashioned,  the  boy 
held  in  his  chubby  hands. 

"  Ah,  Captain  Rogers,  thou  art  most  blessed," 
said  the  governor,  and  he  sat  him  down  in  the  low 
chair  upon  the  earthen  floor  and  called  the  boy  to 
him.  That  moment,  had  Captain  Rogers  known 


236  MISTRESS   BRENT 

it,  was  the  flower  of  his  visit;  and  seeing  the 
governor's  enjoyment  of  the  children,  her  brother- 
in-law  forgave  Mistress  Margaret  her  misdemeanor, 
and  was  filled,  himself,  with  a  pride  that  softened 
his  humor  to  her  for  many  a  day. 


XV 

PLEASANT  it  was  in  the  great  living-room 
lingering  by  the  board,  white  spread  with 
damask  of  Flemish  loom,  where  the  silver 
glittered  in  the  light  of  the  sweet-smelling  myrtle 
candles;  pleasant  it  was  in  the  wide  hall,  where 
the  summer  breezes  blew  fitfully  and  the  tapestry 
waved  lightly  on  the  wall  and  the  dusk  was  in  the 
rafters  overhead;  but  out  of  doors,  where  the 
shadows  lay  thick  under  the  oaks  and  the  fireflies 
gleamed  in  the  grass,  the  witchery  of  the  night 
was  all  abroad,  though  the  sheen  of  the  sunset 
was  yet  in  the  sky  and  its  opalescent  dyes  lin- 
gered on  the  broad,  murmuring  river. 

From  living-room  to  hall  and  from  hall  to  lawn 
they  loitered,  the  governor  and  his  hostess, 
adown  the  gravelled  pathway  to  the  bold  edge 
of  the  bluff,  and  along  its  side  to  where  the  thicket 
hid  the  narrow  entrance  of  the  cave,  and  they 
fell  to  talk  of  that  dire  night  when  Mistress  Mar- 
garet's household  had  found  refuge  there. 

"  Aye,  had  not  it  been  well  nigh  impossible  to 
pass  St.  Anne's." 


238  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"  Had  not  the  savages  lighted  a  beacon  would 
guide  thee  many  a  mile,"  said  Mistress  Brent, 
who  would  have  no  thought  of  such  speech,  "  me- 
thinks  Captain  Rogers  would  soon  have  come  to 
our  assistance,"  she  added,  perversely. 

"An  he  had,  he  would  not  have  reached  ye 
ere — "  began  Calvert,  impatiently. 

Mistress  Brent  turned  suddenly,  and  her  voice 
was  low  and  sweet  as  she  answered  him.  "  He 
would  not  have  been  in  time  to  save  us.  I  have 
never  thanked  thee  in  set  words  such  as  I  oft 
have  framed  in  fancy.  I  will  thank  thee  now. 
Truly,  cousin,  'twas  a  kind  and  watchful  provi- 
dence that  brought  thy  pinnace  down  the  stream 
at  such  an  hour,  yet  — " 

It  was  the  governor's  turn  to  look  impatient 
and  grow  restive  under  such  speech. 

"  T  was  but  a  lucky  turn  of  war." 

"  A  lucky  turn  of  war ;  and  if  that  is  what  ye 
deem  it — /' 

Then  was  the  governor  betwixt  two  fires:  he 
would  not  be  praised,  nor  would  he  anger  Mistress 
Brent ;  instead,  he  blundered,  "  Thou  knowest  well 
there  is  naught,  naught  I  would  not  dare  an  thou 
wast  in  danger." 

Mistress  Brent  looked  down,  a  smile  curving 
her  red  lip,  and  it  smote  the  governor  suddenly, 
the  thought  of  it,  it  was  the  first  time  that  he 


MISTRESS   BRENT  239 

had  ever  dared  a  tender  speech  she  had  not  cut 
in  twain  ere  he  had  finished. 

There  was  a  feeling  of  sternness  in  his  sudden 
joy;  he  had  come  home  again,  back  to  the  prov- 
ince of  Maryland,  with  strong  intention  nerving 
him,  he  would  not  be  held  at  arm's  length  by  his 
fair  cousin. 

"  But  I  am  not  in  danger,"  said  his  cousin, 
lightly. 

The  governor  was  silent. 

"  I  trow  we  would  have  made  good  our  escape," 
she  added,  perversely. 

"  T  was  a  danger  too  great  for  us  to  trifle  with 
it  now  in  words,"  said  Calvert,  gravely. 

"  Not  so  wouldst  thou  have  others  think,"  said 
Margaret,  petulantly;  "ye'd  have  them  believe 
the  settlement  was  safe ;  safe  as  a  church." 

"  Others,"  broke  in  Calvert,  passionately, 
"'tis  not  of  others  I  think;  what  care  I  for 
them?" 

"  Everything !  "  declared  Mistress  Margaret, 
fighting  her  cousin's  humor,  now  she  saw  the 
storm  her  words  had  raised ;  "  so  we  did  persuade 
them  this  winter." 

"  But  thou,  Margaret,"  and  there  was  such  a 
depth  of  pleading  in  his  voice  that  Mistress  Mar- 
garet, who  thought  she  knew  him  through  and 
through,  was  yet  astounded,  "why  wilt  thou  keep 


24o  MISTRESS   BRENT 

ever  this  distance  betwixt  us?  it  is  not  for  always, 
it  cannot  be  !  Surely  thou  hast  forgot  that  night 
many  years  ago."  He  came  close  to  her,  towering 
above  her  slight  figure,  "  And  thy  words  then ;  so 
much  has  come  and  gone  since  then,  I  — "  he 
paused,  for  Calvert  was  ever  distrustful  of  his  own 
merits,  "I  —  surely  thou  hast  not  found  me  al- 
together unworthy  of  thy  loving,  or  in  all  these 
months  thou  wouldst  have  given  some  sign." 
He  went  on  brokenly,  drawing  long  breaths  be- 
tween the  pauses  of  his  speech ;  but  his  cousin's 
face  was  bent  from  him,  he  could  read  naught 
there,  but  must  stumble  on. 

"  Thou  hast  been  kind  and  kinder,  Margaret." 
She  looked  up  at  his  appeal  and  smiled  gently, 
though  her  face  was  white  as  the  gown  she 
wore. 

"  Tell  me,  is  there  any  cause?  " 

"  Cousin  Calvert,"  she  laid  her  hand  on  his  arm. 

He  shook  it  off  roughly  and  his  blue  eyes 
blazed. 

"  Cousin,  forsooth,  I  will  have  none  of  it !  "  and 
at  his  anger  something  of  her  old  assurance  came 
to  Mistress  Margaret. 

"  Sir  Governor,"  she  began  demurely,  and  then 
checked  herself.  "  There  is  much  I  would  speak," 
she  said  with  some  show  of  dignity;  "  and  after  — 
after,  then  I  leave  thee  to  judge." 


MISTRESS    BRENT  241 

"To  judge  what,  Margaret?  Could  I,  would  I 
weigh  aught  against  thee  ?  "  he  protested  eagerly. 

"  Nay,  I  know  not ;  "  Mistress  Brent  turned 
thoughtfully  and  walked  slowly  back  to  the  stair- 
way in  the  cliff.  "  Sit  down,"  she  commanded, 
"  there  is  much  I  would  say,  methinks  I  owe 
thee." 

"  Margaret,"  declared  Calvert,  stricken  by  the 
look  on  her  face,  "  thou  owest  me  naught ;  speak 
not;  I  love  thee,  I  will  love  thee  ever,  sweetheart; 
leave  all  unsaid." 

But  Mistress  Brent,  though  she  drew  her  breath 
sharply,  shook  her  head. 

"  Nay,  it  must  be  !  Methinks  that  is  why  I  so 
oft  have  fenced  with  thee ;  an  I  ever  listened  to 
thy  words  again  I  must  tell  thee  this." 

She  clenched  her  hands  upon  her  lap,  the 
fingers  tight  upon  her  thumbs. 

"  I  only  pray  thee  silence  'til  I  be  done,  'twill 
make  my  task  the  easier." 

Her  gray  eyes,  dark  with  suffering,  sought  the 
paling  river  and  the  sky  where  the  first  stars  of 
evening  twinkled,  as  if  for  help,  and  then  she 
began : 

"  Thou  rememberest  my  father's  house ;  the 
great  lawns  and  gardens  and  woods  where  we 
came  and  went  at  will,  and  my  wayward  child- 
hood. There  was  none  to  check  me.  My  father 
16 


242  MISTRESS   BRENT 

was  all  soldier;  my  mother  dead  when  I  was 
nigh  a  babe;  my  father  heedless  of  us;  only 
Sarah,  and  she  not  grown  to  womanhood.  Giles 
was  with  my  father  most  of  all  and  held  himself 
aloof;  Mary  seemed  too  small  for  comradeship. 
I  grew  as  the  wild  things  throve  in  the  garden, 
and  when  teachers  were  provided  —  thou  recallest 
good  Father  Moran;  little  heed  he  gave  us  save 
for  a  few  short  hours,  and  I  learned  readily 
enow. 

"'Twas  bad  enow,"  she  declared  passionately, 
"  and  yet  I  wonder,  I  wonder  could  none  be 
found  to  look  after  two  motherless  girls,  to  teach 
them  somewhat  of  the  beginnings  of  womanly 
knowledge  and  not  leave  them  all  unfortified. 
Nay,  start  not,  't  is  not  a  tale  of  shame  I  tell  thee, 
else  I  ne'er  had  lived  longer  than  the  knowledge  of 
it."  She  broke  off  abruptly,  and  when  she  spoke 
again  the  channel  of  her  thought  was  changed. 

"  But  most  of  all,"  she  went  on  dreamily, 
"  most  of  all  I  loved  the  garden  by  the  old  part  of 
the  house,  where  the  gardener  was  neglectful  of 
his  skill;  thou  recallest  it?" 

Calvert  smiled;  the  brightest  picture  of  his 
youth  was  of  a  dark-haired  child  who  at  last 
made  friends  shyly  with  him  one  sunny  day  and 
showed  him  the  realm  of  her  delight,  where  the 
roses  grew  in  wild  tangle  and  the  wallflower  and 


MISTRESS   BRENT  243 

cowslip  in  untended  clumps,  and  the  arbors  were 
rotting  and  overgrown. 

"  Ah,  yes,"  sighed  Margaret,  "  there  was  the 
sunshine  of  my  childhood;  winter  or  summer,  I 
ever  lingered  there ! 

"  When  ye  were  making  ready  your  expedi- 
tion," she  went  on  hurriedly,  "and  Giles  came 
from  London  with  wondrous  tales  of  what  my 
cousin  of  Baltimore  would  do  and  what  thou 
didst  purpose,  and  of  the  men  who  gathered  to  the 
sailing  of  the  'Ark'  and  'Dove,'  of  Father  White's 
fever  to  be  gone  a-preaching  to  the  savages,  and 
my  cousin  Baltimore's  great  hopes  of  the  new 
country  which  he  would  have  so  wisely  governed, 
there  was  another  with  him,  one  who  listened 
with  me  and  told  me  other  tales  of  venture, 
when  he  saw  my  wide-eyed  listening,  I  was 
woman  in  stature  and  years,  God  knows,  but  in 
naught  else.  He  found  the  garden  pathways; 
the  arbor,  albeit  half  rotted,  was  pleasant  lin- 
gering place,  and  he  found  withal  an  eager 
welcomer,  pleased  enow,  easy  enow;  aye,  let 
me  speak  the  bitter  truth  and  be  done  with  it  — 
easy  enow  and  eager  enow  to  give  him  her  whole 
heart,  to  scorch  herself  with  the  fire  of  her  loving, 
to  fair  consume  the  heart  within  her,  to  show  him 
all,  to  be  his  plaything,  and  then,  then  —  " 

She  rose  to  her  feet  and  swayed  as  she  stood 


244  MISTRESS   BRENT 

on  the  narrow  stair,  her  white-clad  figure  shining 
in  the  dusk. 

"He  went  away  free  as  he  came.  Touch  me 
not,  not  now,"  she  pushed  Calvert  back,  back 
to  his  seat.  "  My  God  !  the  days  that  followed, 
they  withered  my  heart;  there  is  no  loving  left 
there,  none,  I  tell  thee.  I  waited ;  I  would  not 
believe.  My  father  spoke  of  his  marriage  one 
day,  lightly  and  carelessly,  as  if  of  a  thing  that 
should  move  us  not.  My  father  died ;  Giles  was 
bitten  with  my  cousin  of  Baltimore's  dreams; 
he  would  have  me  visit  him ;  anything  would 
have  served,  to  be  forever  away;  I  seconded  him 
gladly ;  Mary  would  come  with  us,  why,  we  soon 
knew. 

"  Now  thou  knowest  the  secret  of  my  caprice. 
I  would  have  lands,  forsooth,  I  would  do  un- 
mannerly things ;  I  tell  thee  't  was  my  salvation, 
it  has  saved  me  heart  and  mind.  Think  ye  I 
should  fear  the  savages  when  my  own  heart  was 
the  foe  I  had  to  fight."  She  sank  back  in  her 
seat  upon  the  stair. 

"  Think  not  I  love  him,  the  dastard !  nor  that 
I  fought  love  of  him ;  nay,  't  was  scorn  I  fought, 
scorn  of  myself,  loathing !  " 

"  Poor  child  ! " 

"  Child !  have  I  not  lain  bare  the  soul  of  a 
woman  centuries  old?" 


MISTRESS   BRENT  245 

"  In  sorrow,  but  naught  else ;  and  thou  hast 
fought  this  fight  here  amongst  us,  amidst  criti- 
cisms." 

"  Such  as  they  were,  they  hurt  me  not." 

"And  e'en  I  have  so  misjudged  thee,  Margaret; 
I  pray  thy  pardon." 

"  Pardon  !  "  said  Margaret,  faintly. 

"  Aye,  I  thought  I  knew  thee  through  and 
through.  I  thought  I  loved  —  is  that  all  thy  tale  ?  " 
he  asked  wistfully,  as  if  afraid  yet  to  intrude  him- 
self where  such  sorrow  had  been. 

"  All  ?  is  not  that  enough?  " 

"  Nay,  save  for  thy  suffering,  't  is  naught ; "  he 
leaned  closer  and  placed  his  hand  upon  her  tiny 
ones  clenched  again  within  her  lap. 

And  Margaret  looking  down  where  he  sat  be- 
neath her,  his  fair  face  alight  with  sympathy,  trust, 
and  a  feeling  deeper  and  stronger  than  all  these, 
drew  a  long,  quivering  breath. 

"  Methought  thou  wouldst  never  care  again," 
she  began. 

"  I  told  thee  at  the  first  naught  could  change 
me,  naught.  Thou  wilt  think  not  of  it,"  he 
pleaded,  "  but  love  me  somewhat,  sweetheart?  " 

Margaret  shook  her  head.  She  was  spent  with 
the  telling  of  her  tale  and  had  so  spirit  of  coquetry 
left  in  her. 

"  I  tell  thee  I  fear  there  is  no  heart,  no  power 


246  MISTRESS   BRENT 

of  loving  left  in  me;  'tis  so  with  some;  they 
give  their  all  in  one  mad  burst  of  passion." 

"Aye,  but  believe  there  is  more  left  than  one 
thinks  of,"  said  the  governor  cheerfully,  though 
his  pulses  were  bounding  with  joy;  "  thou  wilt 
not  stay  my  loving  thee?" 

"  An  ye  will,"  said  Margaret ;  "  but  the  night 
grows  cold,"  she  shivered  slightly. 

"  And  thou  art  wearied."  He  rose  to  his 
great  height,  then  stooped  and  lifted  her  gently 
and  placed  her  slight  hand  on  his  arm,  though 
he  walked  in  silence  beneath  the  thick  shadows 
of  the  oaks.  A  mocking-bird,  startled  from  his 
sleep,  broke  into  song.  Calvert  smiled  at  the 
omen  and  yet  held  his  silence,  only  when  they 
stood  within  the  hall  he  bent  his  fair  head. 

"  Thou  knowest  the  hunger  and  thirst  of  the 
heart,"  he  said ;  "  mine  cries  out.  I  have  waited 
thee,  love,  so  long,  so  long;  surely  now  — "  he 
bent  above  her  and  gathered  her  close  and  kissed 
her  with  such  passion  as  moved  her  to  the  heart. 


XVI 

WHEN  Captain  Ingle  had  persuaded  the 
settlers  of  Kent  to  rebel  against  the 
authority  of  Maryland,  he  acted  with 
a  knowledge  of  both  men  and  times : 
of  men,  for  the  islanders  were  stiff-necked  in  the 
carrying  out  of  their  own  intentions ;  and  of  times, 
for  he  knew  better  than  most  in  the  provinces  how 
uncertain  was  the  tide  in  the  Proprietor's  affairs. 

Should  the  rebellion  prosper  in  England,  and 
he  believed  it  would,  the  chances  were  slight 
that  my  Lord  Baltimore,  a  well-known  friend  of 
the  king,  should  hold  his  own  on  either  side  the 
water.  This,  then,  was  the  time  for  redressing 
Claiborne's  wrongs,  and  no  sooner  was  the  work 
in  Kent  well  done  than  he  sailed  away  on  the 
coastwise  expedition  which  had  been  his  real 
venture  in  the  New  World. 

When  he  returned,  it  was  but  to  hear  at  James- 
town that  Calvert  had  come  again  and  sailed  at 
once  to  establish  his  authority  at  Kent,  and  that 
Giles  Brent  was  once  more  at  South  Fort,  com- 
mander of  the  isle. 


248  MISTRESS   BRENT 

The  captain  was  angered  to  the  topmost  of  his 
nature,  which  was  both  choleric  and  quick.  For 
more  than  fifteen  years  had  he  traded  in  the  New 
World,  from  the  West  Indies  to  Jamestown,  from 
Jamestown  to  Plymouth ;  along  the  coasts  of  wild 
lands  unknown  and  unclaimed  had  he  sailed.  On 
many  a  trading  expedition  with  the  Indians  far  up 
the  Susquehanna  had  he  been  with  William  Clai- 
borne.  He  knew  his  settlement  at  Kent  when  it 
mustered  scarce  twenty  souls  till  it  grew  to  nigh 
two  hundred,  from  the  handful  of  men  at  the  fort 
to  the  scattered  settlements  over  all  the  south  of 
the  island,  the  building  of  the  cooper  factory,  the 
setting  up  of  mills  for  grinding  corn  and  wheat, 
the  erection  of  Claiborne's  manor-house  at  South 
Fort  and  another  at  Craddock,  the  coming  of  the 
chaplain  and  the  sending  of  their  burgesses  to 
Jamestown ;  all  this  before  the  coming  of  the 
"  Ark  "  and  "  Dove  "  to  the  Potomac. 

That  Baltimore  had  claimed  and  the  king 
allowed  his  claim  for  this  land  already  granted, 
was  the  mighty  reason  that  had  turned  him, 
Richard  Ingle,  to  the  side  of  the  rebellion.  A 
king  so  careless  of  his  kingly  rights  as  not  to 
remember  his  kingly  word  was  not  the  king  for 
England.  Well  did  he  deserve  the  stings  of  the 
hornets  he  had  brought  about  his  ears,  and  while 
he  was  busied  thus,  they  would  see  to  their  rights 


MISTRESS    BRENT  249 

on  this  side  the  water ;  aye,  and  when  the  men  who 
fought  the  king  were  victorious,  as  Ingle  would 
stake  his  life  they  would  be,  they  would  uphold  him 
in  all  that  had  been  done,  even  to  the  granting  of 
further  authority.  It  should  be  no  longer  a  ques- 
tion of  Kent,  but  of  all  Maryland  as  well.  So  he 
thought  as  he  nursed  his  anger  and  sought  Wil- 
liam Claiborne  in  the  house  which  he  had  built 
where  two  rivers  meet  and  form  the  wide  stream 
beloved  of  the  savages  —  the  river  which  he  had 
named  the  York.  Here  had  William  Claiborne 
fought  a  great  fight  with  the  savages  and  routed 
them  from  their  village,  and  here  at  last,  holding 
a  grant  of  the  acres  that  rolled  away  from  the 
wide  York  to  the  James,  he  had  built  a  house  and 
lived  in  state  with  the  wife  he  dearly  loved. 

At  St.  Mary's  the  summer  waxed  and  waned. 
The  maize  yellowed  in  the  sun,  the  long  leaves 
were  pulled  and  stalked,  the  tobacco  was  cut  and 
hanging  in  the  drying-sheds.  The  colonists  were 
hopeful.  The  season  had  been  bountiful.  The 
losses,  when  the  smaller  settlers  had  lost  all 
save  lands  and  buildings,  were  being  repaired. 
With  good  harvests,  with  maize  for  use  and  maize 
for  paying  the  quit-rents,  with  tobacco  for  the 
selling,  all  might  go  well. 

Shipping  was  slight  and  lading  was  yet  scant, 
save  for  the  great  manors.  There  was  little  news 


250  MISTRESS   BRENT 

from  my  Lord  of  Baltimore,  and  that  little  but  his 
old  exhortation  set  forth  in  fiery  language;  but 
his  stinging  speech,  when  he  sank  to  such,  moved 
the  governor  not.  Never  had  he  held  the  prov- 
ince in  such  firm  guidance.  ,  Never  yet  had  the 
New  World  brought  him  such  happiness,  —  it  was 
summer-tide  in  his  life  as  well  as  in  the  land 
wherein  he  dwelt. 

Summer-tide  in  all  those  delightful  days  when 
he  could  slip  away  to  St.  Anne's  and  find  its  mis- 
tress busied  and  happy,  content  dawning  on  her 
face,  which  had  ever  been  too  restless  in  its  look, 
and  which  it  joyed  him  to  see.  For  he  knew  long 
before  her  speech  that  no  wild  love  waited  him, 
and  for  himself  he  prized  the  affection  that  grew 
slowly  and  yet  from  year  to  year,  until  some  time, 
please  God !  his  beloved  might  scarce  know  her- 
self how  deep  it  was. 

When  the  leaves  upon  the  oaks  were  green, 
when  the  leaves  upon  the  oaks  were  bronzing,  when 
the  woodlands  were  filled  with  verdure  and  when 
they  flamed  in  scarlet  and  gold,  when,  as  now, 
they  were  filled  with  the  down  drifting  of  leaves 
which  rustled  in  every  wind  that  chased  them 
underfoot  or  clung  in  pine  or  cedar,  or  in  the 
twiscings  of  the  grape-vines  where  the  wild  grapes 
were  purple  and  sweet  —  he  journeyed  to  and 
fro. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  251 

Now  the  mocking-bird  was  gone  with  its  sum- 
mer kind,  cedar-bird  and  robin  were  in  his  stead ; 
the  wild  "  cohonk  "  was  heard  overhead,  and  the 
marshes  were  filled  with  the  flocks  of  ducks  and 
geese  that  lingered  on  their  journey  southward. 

Mistress  Hawley  had  come  for  her  summer  visit 
and  was  again  at  home.  Giles  had  come  and  gone 
again  to  Kent;  the  great  manor  was  getting  ready 
each  day  for  its  winter  rest  and  quiet.  Ere  long 
the  hogs  and  their  keepers  would  be  gathered  in 
from  the  marshes,  the  cattle  from  far  afield.  Mis- 
tress Margaret's  busy  fingers  held  all  the  threads, 
and  when  the  work  was  well  done,  she  told  her- 
self, they  would  hold  Christmas-tide  royally  at 
St.  Anne's.  Last  year  she  had  been  in  St.  Mary's ; 
next  —  nay,  she  could  not  yet  say  where  next 
Christmas-tide  might  find  her.  Jock  and  Sarah 
would  be  left  in  charge  for  many  a  long  day,  in 
truth,  an  she  became  the  governor's  wife ;  and  yet 
she  loved  St.  Anne's  in  every  fibre  of  her  being, 
—  better,  far  better,  than  that  English  homestead 
whose  memory  was  blackened  for  her.  She  must 
talk  of  it  to  her  cousin. 

Her  cousin !  he  would  visit  her  on  the  morrow, 
so  he  had  said  by  the  messenger  who  came  from 
St.  Mary's  not  many  days  hence.  It  pleased  her 
to  think  on  his  coming.  The  days  grew  solitary,  or 
if  the  days  were  filled  with  work,  the  long  evenings 


252  MISTRESS   BRENT 

were  dull  and  tiresome ;  there  might  be  song  and 
laughter  in  the  servants'  cabins,  but  in  the  great 
living-room  was  silence  and  dusky  corners  and 
dark  rafters  overhead;  the  wind  howled  in  the 
chimney  and  the  tide  raced,  dashing,  along  the 
shore  —  there  was  no  sound  of  life  or  cheer  save 
the  crackling  of  the  fire. 

It  was  well  when  there  was  a  guest  beside  the 
hearth,  and  Mistress  Margaret  blithely  made  ready 
for  him  from  the  warning  of  the  early  morn  to 
Sarah  that  her  serving  must  be  of  the  best,  to  the 
hour  in  the  dusk  of  the  short  afternoon,  when  the 
governor  kissed  the  finger-tips  he  held  in  his 
strong  clasp  and  read  the  welcome  of  her  greeting 
in  her  gray  eyes. 

"  In  sooth  we  are  glad  to  see  you,  Cousin 
Calvert,"  she  said,  though  her  tone  was  warmer 
far  than  her  words. 

"  In  sooth,  we  are  glad  to  be  with  thee,  Cousin 
Margaret,"  answered  the  governor,  though  he 
laughed  as  he  spake  and  pushed  forward  the 
great  chair  from  which  Mistress  Brent  had  risen. 

"  Methinks  the  night  will  prove  stormy,"  she 
said,  turning  quickly  to  light  speech ;  "  best  have 
thy  sails  close-reefed  •  and  leave  thy  men  to  tarry 
with  the  servants  in  their  quarters." 

She  went  to  the  casement  window  to  call  to 
Jock  as  he  crossed  the  yard. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  253 

"Jock,  bid  the  governor's  men  ashore,  and 
have  them  leave  the  boat  in  readiness  for 
storm." 

"Aye,"  answered  Jock,  looking  shrewdly  to  the 
thickness  gathering  in  the  east. 

"An  thou  art  storm-bound?"  queried  Mistress 
Margaret,  fastening  the  window-bolt  and  coming 
to  the  fireside. 

"  I  am  well  content." 

"  And  I,"  said  Mistress  Brent,  her  red  lip  curv- 
ing mischievously,  though  she  lifted  her  lowered 
lids  but  for*  the  space  of  a  second  to  note  the 
happiness  in  the  governor's  face. 

The  governor  rose  from  his  chair  and  came  over 
to  the  side  of  the  mantel-shelf  near  her. 

"  Wouldst  thou  be  indeed  content,  Margaret?" 
he  asked  unsteadily,  for  there  were  moments  such 
as  this  when  he  had  been  long  away  when  he 
could  not  think  calmly  on  his  happiness,  it  was 
too  incredulous. 

Mistress  Margaret  shrugged  her  shoulders. 
"  Listen  to  the  wind,  how  it  howls  in  the  chim- 
ney !  't  is  not  a  pleasant  voice  when  't  is  the  sole 
one  one  has  to  hearken  to." 

Calvert  was  silent  for  a  moment,  looking  about 
him  at  the  rich  carpet  beneath  the  table,  the  square 
that  covered  it  and  the  silver  candlesticks  there, 
the  thick  hangings  on  wall  and  draperies  about 


254  MISTRESS   BRENT 

the  window,  the  settle  and  chests  and  chairs  of 
dark  mahogany  or  carven  oak. 

"  The  governor's  house,  albeit  the  governor's, 
is  not  so  fine  as  this,"  he  said,  half  quizzically. 

"  Yet  it  should  be,"  said  Margaret,  quickly. 

"  So  it  should,  and  the  centre  of  the  life  of  the 
colony;  so  my  brother  would  have  it." 

"  And  such  it  must  be,"  repeated  Mistress  Brent, 
sententiously. 

"  But  it  hath  no  mistress,  naught  but  a  bachelor 
with  simple  habits  and  few  wants." 

"  Aye,"  laughed  Mistress  Margaret,  "  I  have 
dwelt  not  within  it  for  a  winter  not  to  know;" 
and  though  she  laughed,  the  governor  looked  un- 
easy. He  well  knew  he  should  look  more  closely 
to  the  fashion  of  his  living.  Truth,  he  had  learned 
to  do  so  in  one  way  at  least.  Scarce  Captain  Brent 
himself  went  more  gayly  apparelled  than  he  did 
since  his  return  from  England,  though  he  would 
never  look  the  man  of  fashion,  —  the  thoughtful 
face  and  deep-set  eyes  would  ever  belie  it. 

But  his  uneasiness  was  only  for  a  moment.  "  It 
shall  not  be  for  long  untended,"  he  declared,  look- 
ing at  the  flaming  fire,  though  he  was  aware  of 
each  change  in  Mistress  Margaret's  face. 

"  With  a  mistress  at  its  head,"  he  went  on, 
slowly,  "  we  'd  keep  such  revelry  there  this  yule- 
tide,  we  'd  draw  the  settlers  from  far  and  near  to 


MISTRESS    BRENT  255 

the  town,  and  not  in  such  fear  and  trouble  as 
when  they  crowded  it  before." 

"  Sooth,  't  would  be  well,"  said  Margaret,  care- 
lessly. 

"'  Well  /'  Margaret,  dost  know  what  thou  art 
saying?" 

"  In  truth  't  is  what  I  'd  pray  thee  do  !  'T  would 
be  well  for  all." 

She  looked  up  and  met  Calvert's  gaze.  "  What 
is  it  thou  wouldst?"  she  began,  bewildered. 

"  Where  hast  thou  been  wandering  in  thy 
dreams  ?  "  asked  Calvert  quickly,  nettled  that  the 
speech  to  which  he  had  led  so  gracefully  had  gone 
unnoted. 

"  I  was  thinking,"  stammered  Margaret,  "  as  ye 
talked  of  the  yule-tide,  I  was  thinking  of  the 
season  here.  I  would  fain  have  the  men  and 
maids  make  joyous  revel;  last  year  I  was  in  St. 
Mary's,  and  —  and  next  —  " 

"Next,"  broke  in  Calvert,  and  then  left  the 
finishing  to  Mistress  Margaret,  who  flushed  so 
rosily  in  the  firelight  he  could  not  forego  the  sight 
of  it. 

But  her  confusion  was  but  for  the  nonce. 

"  Faith,"  she  said,  lightly,  "  best  make  the  most 
of  what  one  has  at  once.  Who  can  foresee  the 
morrow?" 

"To-morrow,"  thought  the  governor,  and   the 


256  MISTRESS   BRENT 

vision  of  it  was  bright  as  the  flame  lapping  the 
oak  logs  on  the  hearth ;  and  he  was  silent  for  a 
space,  his  fingers  resting  on  Mistress  Margaret's 
chair,  whither  he  had  come  to  note  her  sweet  con- 
fusion. There  where  the  brown  hair  curled  upon 
her  neck  was  where  he  had  kissed  her  that  day  when 
he  had  ventured  with  his  gift;  she  wore  it  now, 
and  the  collar,  low  and  rich,  showed  all  the  curve 
of  her  firm  neck.  He  fell  to  studying  her  face  as 
he  had  done  a  hundred  times  before,  the  round 
cheek,  rosy  and  firm ;  the  long  sweep  of  her  lashes ; 
the  small  red  mouth  and  steady  chin  and  smooth 
forehead  where  the  wayward,  dark  hair,  though 
high-coiled,  would  wander. 

"  Margaret,"  he  began,  softly,  "  thou  hast  begged 
the  question.  I  did  make  a  plea  and  thou  hast 
naught  to  say;  I  put  it  gently  then,  now  I 
must  put  it  bluntly  —  for  speech,  gallant  speech 
and  I  —  " 

"  Thou  canst  write  far  better  than  thou  canst 
speak,"  said  Margaret,  lightly;  "thy  missives  —  " 

"What  of  them?"  said  the  governor,  quickly. 

"They  are  within  my  desk,"  said  Margaret, 
saucily;  "would  it  please  thee  — " 

"  Nay,  spare  me,  and  hearken  !  Thou  art  a  rare 
fencer,  yet  must  thou  listen.  Madge,  I  beseech 
thee,  why  all  these  months  alone  here  whilst  I  am 
in  St.  Mary's?  Thou  knowest  not  the  loneliness. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  257 

The  river  betwixt  us  seems  vast  as  the  great  seas 
—  methinks  thou  mightest  as  well  be  across  them." 

"  In  faith,  sir." 

"  Thou  seemst  so  far  away,  in  those  days  when 
I  come  not  hither,  and  I  cannot  many  a  day  when 
I  would.  Soon  will  be  the  meeting  of  the  Assem- 
bly; I  will  find  no  time  for  journeyings  then,  I 
dare  not."  The  furrow  betwixt  his  brows  deepened 
with  the  thought.  The  Assembly  had  been  trying 
enough  before,  and  now  that  the  burgesses  had 
arrogated  to  themselves  the  power  of  adjournment, 
he  could  not  even  forecast  when  the  meetings 
would  be  done. 

"I  know  not  how  long  they'll  linger;  I  pray 
God  not  'til  Christmas-tide.  Then,  the  meetings 
over,  could  we  hold  revelry  in  the  governor's 
house  and  keep  the  burgesses  together  and  send 
them  home,  pleased  and  joyed." 

Mistress  Brent  understood  now,  but  she  had  no 
answer  ready. 

"I  cannot,"  she  said  at  length,  "think  not  on 
it ;  "  then  seeing  the  look  of  pain  on  Calvert's 
face  she  hesitated. 

"Think  on  it,  Margaret,  I  adjure  thee;  speak 
not  now,  wait  'til  the  morrow  an  I  tarry  'til  then ; 
I  had  purposed  —  " 

Mistress  Margaret,  cut  to  the  quick  by  the  look 
on  his  face,  had  yet  no  word  to  say.  Truly  for 


258  MISTRESS    BRENT 

this  man,  now  she  had  been  won  to  a  thought  of 
giving  her  life  into  his  keeping,  a  most  strange 
feeling  was  growing,  a  feeling  blent  much  of  pity 
and  much  of  sympathy.  She  knew  how  his  brother 
held  him,  as  a  faithful  servitor;  and  how  many 
held  him  in  England,  as  a  man  lacking  all  the 
brilliant  parts  of  his  older  brother.  She  had  come 
to  the  province  prepared  with  these  thoughts  of 
him,  added  to  a  remembrance  of  a  shy,  quiet  youth 
who  had  been  often  a  guest  of  her  father's  house. 

She  had  found  a  man  of  dignity  and  of  stately 
manner ;  a  man  though  slow,  yet  prudent ;  though 
silent,  yet  well  loved ;  though  surrounded  with  those 
grasping  for  new  and  better  fortunes,  yet  doing 
naught  for  the  aggrandizement  of  his  own;  though 
holding  the  power  of  granting  the  lands  of  the 
province,  making  no  claims  for  himself;  and  when 
his  brother  had  bestowed  upon  him  the  manor  of 
South  Fort,  making  a  gift  of  it  to  another,  and  that 
other  her  brother. 

Careless  often,  as  he  had  been  in  his  dress  and 
his  own  affairs,  he  had  been  careless  never  of  one 
of  those  about  him.  Yet  few  ever  looked  to  give 
him  pleasure.  And  Margaret,  in  the  rush  of  pity 
for  him,  vowed  there  was  naught  she  would  not 
venture  for  him. 

Each  time  he  visited  her,  when  she  saw  him 
first  there  was  ever  the  mark  of  care  and  thought- 


MISTRESS   BRENT  259 

fulness  upon  him ;  she  could  watch  as  moment  by 
moment  the  furrow  faded  from  his  forehead,  the 
lines  of  his  face  were  smoothed  and  the  eyes 
brightened,  until  he  looked  as  if  years  had  fallen 
from  him.  She  could  interest  him  in  a  thousand 
ways,  with  affairs  of  the  manor,  of  her  household 
doings,  with  jest  and  laughter;  and  she  had 
grown  to  look  for  the  happiness  in  his  face  and 
to  sheer  from  aught  that  brought  a  thought  of 
care. 

So  it  was  now.  She  stole  her  slender  fingers  to 
where  his  rested  on  her  chair  and  slipped  them 
under  his  warm  clasp.  "  I  will  think  on  it,"  she 
promised.  "  Hush  !  "  as  she  saw  the  quick  words 
forming  on  his  lips,  "here  comes  Sarah." 

She  pushed  back  her  chair  and  rose  to  her  feet. 
"Truth,  cousin,"  she  went  on,  striving  to  speak 
steadily,  as  she  crossed  to  the  window  looking  out 
on  starlit  lawn  and  river ;  "  see,"  she  called  him  to 
her  side,  "the  clouds  roll  steadily  up  from  the 
east,  and  soon  the  stars  will  be  hidden,  the  oaks 
bend  to  the  wind,  'twill  be  such  a  night  as  one 
thanks  God  for  shelter." 

"  And  for  shelter  such  as  this,"  he  looked  mean- 
ingly at  the  bright  room  behind  him  and  the 
slender  figure  by  his  side ;  and  if  the  wind  moaned, 
it  had  no  sinister  sound  to  him ;  and  if  tide  and 
wind  ran  swift  to  St.  Mary's,  it  was  but  for  the 


26o  MISTRESS   BRENT 

quicker  journey  on  the  morrow  —  the  hour  was 
his. 

Though  the  storm  howled  over  the  house  and 
shook  the  bronzed  leaves  from  the  oaks  and 
scattered  abroad  the  scurrying  leaves  in  the  wood- 
land and  tore  the  branches  of  the  forest,  and  the 
rain  beat  on  land  and  river  and  beat  the  requiem 
of  the  summer  and  its  beautiful  afterglow,  the  fire 
on  the  hearth  blazed  high  and  the  candle-light 
shone  on  damask  and  silver  and  good  cheer,  and 
again  on  Mistress  Margaret's  piquant  face  as  she 
sat  by  the  fireside,  her  eyes  bright  with  laughter, 
for  she  would  have  naught  but  fun  and  jest  this 
night,  and  Calvert  must  bend  himself  to  her 
humor. 

Yet  when  the  evening  was  done  and  Calvert 
slept  the  sleep  of  the  well  content  within  the  guest 
chamber,  Mistress  Brent  still  lingered  by  the 
smouldering  fire  in  the  living-room.  Much  as  she 
had  come  to  think  on  her  cousin's  happiness  she 
was  not  yet  ready  for  the  step  he  urged.  She 
would  rather  have  lingered  and  used  herself  more 
to  the  thought  of  it ;  a  year  hence  was  time  enow, 
in  faith,  and  he,  she  knew  he  grew  impatient; 
yet,  as  he  said,  she  had  been  a  most  excellent 
fencer  and  held  him  at  bay.  Now,  Mistress 
Margaret  sighed.  Freedom  was  dear  to  her. 
Why  could  not  they  have  gone  on  in  the  old  way? 


MISTRESS    BRENT  261 

Why  should  every  one  urge  her  on?  Why,  last  of 
all,  had  she  learned  this  strange  insight  of  Leonard 
Calvert's  nature,  to  read  the  craving  for  love  and 
sympathy  he  hid  under  his  calm  exterior  and  to 
feel  she  dared  not  trifle  with  it?  Yet  did  she  care 
for  anything? 

Yes,  for  everything.  She  threw  her  arms  above 
her  head,  and  the  wide,  loose  sleeves  slipped  back, 
showing  the  gleaming  whiteness  of  them.  She 
cared  for  the  world  about,  for  her  ventures  in  the 
new  country,  for  every  acre  of  her  grant,  for  every 
tree  in  her  forests,  yet  unsurveyed,  for  every  friend 
she  claimed  within  the  colony  and  every  household 
in  St.  Mary's,  and  for  the  man  who  slept  that  night 
under  the  roof  of  St.  Anne's. 

Her  heart  ached  for  him,  and  because  of  that 
ache  and  because  she  was  well  content  to  be  with 
him,  to  feel  his  love  about  her  caring  for  her,  she 
would  do  as  he  pleaded.  She  would  tell  him  on  the 
morrow.  Yet  she  sighed  as  she  rose,  the  decision 
made,  and  blew  out  the  candles  and  husbanded 
the  fire,  and  made  her  way  across  the  dark, 
draughty  hall  to  her  chamber,  where  Lucy  waited 
her,  asleep  before  the  hearth. 

On  the  morrow  she  was  ready  to  answer  the 
eager  questioning  of  his  eyes,  though  they  met  at 
the  breakfast-board  and  Sarah  waited  on  them. 
She  saw  the  shaking  of  his  fingers ;  the  cake  of 


262  MISTRESS   BRENT 

maize  upon  his  plate  untouched,  though  smoking 
hot  and  thin  and  dainty ;  the  venison  uncut,  though 
it  was  of  the  tenderest;  the  smoking  hominy  and 
potatoes  neglected. 

"  Sarah,"  she  called,  though  there  was  a  demure 
look  of  mischief  in  her  eyes,  "  Sarah,  what  have 
you  within  the  tankard,  beer  of  our  own  brew- 
ing? An  thou  wilt  bring  me  hither  some  of 
the  white  ale.  Nay,  call  no  one !  Go  thyself; 
the  keys  hang  there."  She  pointed  to  the  mantel- 
shelf and  busied  herself  with  the  food  upon  her 
plate  until  Sarah's  heavy  foot  was  on  the  cellar 
stair.  Then  she  slipped  hastily  from  her  seat 
at  the  head  ot  the  board  to  the  governor's 
chair. 

"  Sir  Giant,"  she  smiled  bravely  as  she  spoke, 
even  if  there  were  a  catch  in  her  voice  and  a 
tremble  upon  her  red  lip,  "  eat  thy  food  in  peace, 
it  shall  be  as  thou  dost  wish.  Yes,"  to  the  quick 
question,  "  ere  yule-tide.  Shame !  "  for  he  had 
sprung  to  his  feet  and  was  crushing  her  close  to 
him.  "Sarah  —  unhand  me!"  she  sprang  back 
to  her  chair  as  Sarah's  footfall  sounded  in  the  hall. 
And  the  governor  as  he  smoothed  the  lace  upon 
his  coat  wondered  at  the  clear  drops  glittering  on 
the  velvet.  Yet  were  there  tears  there,  the  face 
that  looked  at  him  from  the  head  of  the  board  was 
bright  as  sunshine. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  263 

"  This  cool  weather  moves  one  to  hunger,"  she 
was  saying,  lightly.  "  Sarah,  pour  the  governor 
a  cup  of  ale,  for  me  likewise." 

Soon  as  the  breaking  of  his  fast  the  governor 
had  purposed  to  be  gone,  but  loitering  was  such 
delicious  pastime,  the  morning  was  far  spent  when 
he  set  sail.  The  river  ran  rough  and  boisterous 
and  the  wind  was  somewhat  fresh,  yet  the  sun 
shone  clear  and  the  clouds  huddled  close  upon 
the  horizon;  there  was  a  draught  of  coolness, 
a  touch  of  winter  in  the  air,  that  set  his  veins 
a-tingle  as  they  sailed,  the  pinnace  heeled  to 
the  wind,  the  prow  throwing  the  spray  high  in 
air. 

Midway  to  St.  Mary's  they  spied  a  small  canoe 
beating  outwards.  The  man  shaped  his  course  for 
them.  The  governor  knew  him  ere  he  hailed  for 
a  man  of  St.  Mary's,  and  there  was  something  in 
his  white,  scared  face  that  struck  a  chill  to  him  ere 
they  had  come  to  speech.  His  tale  was  soon  told, 
a  tale  so  dread  that  Leonard  Calvert,  a  second 
before  its  hearing,  would  have  sworn  it  impossible, 
yet  was  it  true. 

Captain  Ingle  and  William  Claiborne  had  sailed 
that  night  to  St.  Mary's.  The  strong  wind  which 
whistled  about  the  house  when  he  had  sat  secure 
had  borne  them  swiftly.  They  had  slipped  safely 
past  St.  Inigoes,  and  had  trained  the  great  guns  of 


264  MISTRESS   BRENT 

the  ship  on  the  town.  Should  the  people  resist,  the 
town  would  be  bombarded,  destroyed.  They  had 
submitted. 

Giles  Brent,  they  learned,  was  a  prisoner  on  board 
the  ship.     Kent  had  been  already  conquered. 


XVII 

MISTRESS  BRENT  watched  the  gover- 
nor's pinnace  sail  away  with  a  strange 
feeling  of  restlessness  which  she  stifled 
impatiently.  She  would  see  Jock.  There  was 
some  question  of  the  curing  of  the  tobacco.  They 
would  go  now  to  the  sheds.  The  day  was  crisp, 
but  underfoot  was  soft  from  the  rain ;  she  must 
have  Brown  Bess  saddled.  Once  there  Mistress 
Brent  gave  vigorous  speech  to  the  plans  on  which 
she  had  been  thinking.  The  thick  hanging  stalks 
shut  out  all  sound  save  of  their  own  voices,  so 
they  heard  no  footsteps  until  one  of  the  servants 
stood  by  them. 

"  What  is  it?"  questioned  his  mistress,  sharply. 

"  The  governor  hath  come  again  and  awaits 
thee  at  the  house." 

"  Hath  come  again?  What  is  the  meaning  of 
this?" 

"  I  know  not,  mistress,  Sarah  called  me  to  seek 
thee  at  once." 

"  Pray  God,"  said  Mistress  Brent  as  she  un- 
fastened her  mare  from  her  tethering  by  the  shed 


266  MISTRESS   BRENT 

and  sprang  on  her  back,  "  there  be  not  some  mis- 
chief afoot,  though  there  hath  been  no  time  for 
tidings  good  or  ill." 

Yet  her  first  glance  at  the  governor's  face  told 
her  there  had  been  time  for  tidings,  and  those  of 
the  worst. 

He  waited  her  in  the  living-room. 

"  Cousin  Calvert,"  she  began,  as  she  entered 
hastily.  "  Mercy  o'  God  !  "  she  cried,  for  his  face 
was  white  and  drawn  and  livid,  "what  hast  thou 
heard?  whom  hast  thou  seen?  Let  me  call  Sarah 
to  bring  thee  a  draught  of  wine." 

Calvert  stopped  her  with  a  gesture. 

"  Margaret,"  he  said  hoarsely,  with  long  pauses 
between  his  words,  "when  I  did  leave  thee  — 
this  morn  —  I  thought  myself  the  governor  of 
this  fair  province  —  and  the  happiest  man  therein 
—  now,"  his  voice  rang  sharply,  "  I  have  not  e'en 
a  home  within  it,  not  an  acre  of  land  is  mine !  " 

Mistress  Margaret  tilted  her  chair  proudly. 
"There  is  St.  Anne's!"  she  said,  quietly. 

"  God's  benison  rest  on  thee,  sweetheart,  for 
such  speech !  " 

"Is  there  news  from  my  Lord  Baltimore?" 
queried  Mistress  Brent,  a  tinge  of  disdain  in  her 
voice ;  "  hath  he  sent  thither  a  new  governor,  or  is 
he  come  in  person?" 

"Would  God  he  had!" 


MISTRESS   BRENT  267 

"Then  what?" 

"  I  scarce  can  tell  thee,  it  seems  so  incredulous." 

"  What  hath  befallen  ? "  demanded  Margaret 
impatiently,  who  would  know  the  worst  and  be 
done  with  it. 

"  Ingle,"  Mistress  Margaret  drew  herself  up 
sharply  and  her  gray  eyes  flashed,  "  Ingle  hath 
invaded  St.  Mary's  !  " 

"  And  the  soldiers  of  the  fort,  the  men  of  the 
town  ?  " 

Calvert  shaded  his  face  with  his  hand  as  he 
leaned  against  the  mantel-shelf. 

"  The  ship  slipped  in  last  night,  at  dawn  her 
guns  were  trained  upon  the  town." 

"Who  brought  the  tale?  " 

"  One  of  my  household,  most  trustworthy ;  he 
had  his  boat  concealed,  he  had  been  hunting  for 
the  wild  ducks  and  would  go  again,  he  feigned, 
and  he  sought  me  with  all  speed.  I  met  him 
in  the  river  not  many  miles  away." 

"  And  e'en  now  he  spreads  the  tale  amongst 
my  servants."  She  went  rapidly  through  the 
hall  to  the  open  door. 

The  servants  were  grouped  about  the  man 
agape  with  astonishment  at  the  tale  he  told  with 
much  embroidery,  of  battleships  and  soldiers, 
and  great  guns  would  blow  the  town  in  atoms. 

"  Sarah,"  called  Mistress  Brent,  "  come  hither!  " 


268  MISTRESS   BRENT 

and  then,  not  content  with  that,  she  hasted  across 
the  yard  to  the  hard-trodden  earth  before  the 
men's  cabin. 

"What  tale  is  this  ye  tell?"  she  demanded, 
angrily. 

"Sooth,  lady,"  stammered  the  man,  aghast  at 
her  anger,  "'tis  truth,  St.  Mary's  — 

"Peace!  I  bid  thee!  hold  thy  tongue;  'til 
more  is  known  of  this,  stop  thy  prating  in  my 
servants'  ears.  Why,"  she  cried,  as  her  anger 
lessening,  she  knew  the  man's  face,  "  't  is  Wil- 
liam Rolan;  bide  with  Jock  and  leave  these  idle 
fellows  to  be  gone.  When  there  is  time  for  fear," 
she  turned  to  the  men,  "  ye  shall  have  it  from 
me  — from  me  !  "  she  stamped  her  foot  angrily. 

"  Jock,"  she  called  him  aside,  "  ye  did  not  well 
to  follow  me  and  to  leave  the  men  to  do  likewise, 
now  they  are  gathered  as  if —  keep  this  man  with 
thee,  let  him  have  speech  of  none ;  there  is  disas- 
trous news  an  this  fellow  be  turned  loose  with 
his  tongue,  't  will  be  bedlam  come  again.  Come 
to  me  in  the  house  when  I  have  had  further 
speech  of  the  governor." 

She  went  rapidly  to  the  house.  "  So  this  fel- 
low brought  the  tale." 

"  He  is  a  most  trusty  servant,  Margaret,"  re- 
proached the  governor,  "  and  of  them  all  the  only 
one  who  thought  to  warn  me,  else,  like  Giles  — " 


MISTRESS   BRENT  269 

"  Giles !  " 

"  Giles  is  a  prisoner  on  board  the  ship." 

Mistress  Margaret  threw  herself  into  the  chair 
by  the  table  and  commenced  to  beat  with  her 
slender  fingers  upon  the  heavy  pile  of  the  carpet 
which  covered  it. 

"  Thou  seest,  had  it  not  been  for  him,  I,  too  —  " 

Mistress  Brent  laughed  shortly.  "  The  com- 
mander of  Kent  and  the  governor  of  Maryland 
prisoners  on  board  Captain  Ingle's  ship !  faith,  the 
sound  of  it  tickles  the  ear !  This  pirate  waxes 
bold." 

"  Pirate ! "  cried  Calvert,  who  would  be  just 
spite  of  all  else ;  "  Ingle  scarce  deserves  this." 

"  Yea,  pirate  !  He  would  play  the  tricks  upon 
the  Chesapeake  which  he  hath  learned  upon  the 
Spanish  Main." 

Calvert  was  silent;  for  the  nonce  no  action 
seemed  possible  to  him,  he  could  but  dwell  dully 
on  the  misfortune  befallen  him. 

"And  what  is  it?"  went  on  Mistress  Brent, 
her  chin  high  in  air,  her  eyes  flashing,  "  what  is 
it  save  piracy?  On  whose  commission  doth  he 
act?  What  authority  doth  he  show?" 

"  Nay,  for  that,  the  fellow  doubtless  thinks 
himself  well  backed ;  he  is  of  the  rebellion," 
he  paused  significantly,  and  in  one  wild  flash  Mis- 
tress Brent  saw  all  he  meant. 


270  MISTRESS    BRENT 

Her  cheeks  flamed  as  she  sprang  to  her  feet. 

"  And  ye  mean  —  he  thinks  —  he  can  wrest 
this  province  now,  and  be  upheld."  She  walked 
swiftly  and  angrily  across  the  room,  her  fingers 
tight  clenched  upon  her  thumbs,  her  head  erect. 
"  We  will  match  him,"  she  cried ;  "  piracy  for 
piracy,  an  he  hath  taken  possession  of  us,"  she 
laughed  shortly,  "  we  '11  steal  our  own  again. 
There  are  the  lords  of  the  manors,  the  soldiers 
of  the  hundreds ! " 

"  And  thinkest  thou,  Margaret,  one  of  them 
would  move  in  our  cause?  nay,"  at  her  as- 
tonished look,  "bethink  thee,  for  all  they  know 
this  man  may  represent  the  authority  of  England, 
an  they  resisted  him  they  might  lose  all  they 
had." 

"  Tut,  't  is  warfare,  one  cause  against  the 
other !  " 

Calvert  looked  at  her  kindling  face,  though 
there  was  no  answering  enthusiasm  on  his. 

"  He  holds  the  heart  of  the  colony,"  he  said, 
shortly ;  "  an  we  make  any  move  —  " 

"  T  is  bluster,  this  talk  of  destroying  the  town 
should  we  resist !  He  thinks  to  frighten  us,  and 
he  hath  well  done  so,"  she  added,  bitterly.  "  How 
many  soldiers  could  we  command?"  she  asked, 
coming  close  to  him  where  he  stood  beside  the 
hearth. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  271 

"  The  soldiers  of  this  hundred,"  said  Calvert, 
quietly,  "  muster  scarce  forty  men." 

Mistress  Margaret  spread  out  her  hands  in  a 
gesture  of  despair. 

"  And  of  them,  how  many  could  be  relied 
on?" 

Aye,  there,  she  knew,  was  the  rub.  Of  the 
settlers  many  were  already  disaffected  toward 
the  Proprietor ;  Protestants  who,  believing  not  in 
the  religious  toleration  which  was  the  foundation 
of  their  charter,  would  gladly  overthrow  a  Catholic 
governor;  these,  too,  believed  the  cause  of  the 
rebellion  in  England  their  cause,  and  hoped  from 
it  their  own  triumph.  They  were  willing  to  con- 
cede to  the  English  lord  few  of  the  rights  he 
claimed,  and  fought  his  influence  in  the  Assem- 
blies and  complained  much  of  their  quit-rents 
and  poverty;  and  they  would,  moreover,  make 
of  the  losses  of  the  year  before  a  pretext  for  any 
course,  so  it  was  the  course  of  peace. 

In  truth,  the  blow  was  struck  at  the  very  mo- 
ment of  their  weakness;  even  those  friendly  to 
them  well  might  fear  warfare.  Should  their 
holdings  be  deserted  once  more,  their  wives 
and  children  crowded  into  the  refuge  houses, 
their  stock  and  granaries  left  to  wind  and  weather 
and  the  prowling  beasts  who  would  soon  find 
them  out?  It  had  been  nigh  to  starving  time 


272  MISTRESS   BRENT 

with  them  before,  now  it  would  be  upon  them 
indeed. 

She  knew  so  it  would  seem  to  them.  They 
could  depend  on  few.  She  faced  the  difficulty 
squarely. 

"  There  is  another  question,"  said  Calvert,  "  I 
know  not  what  my  brother  would  have,  mayhap 
he  would  rather  trust  to  diplomacy  in  London  to 
be  reinstated." 

"  What  he  would  have  !  he  knows  naught  of  it, 
and  ere  he  knows  we  will  have  acted." 

The  governor  smiled  sadly,  as  if  he  but  smiled 
at  her  wilfulness. 

"  Truth,  thou  wouldst  make  a  rare  soldier,  Mar- 
garet." But  she  noticed  not  the  flattery. 

"  See  ye  naught  to  do  ?  " 

Calvert  was  silent.  He  saw  not  a  hand's-breadth 
before  him,  yet  could  he  not  bring  himself  to  such 
confession. 

"  At  Jamestown  ?"  ventured  Mistress  Margaret. 

"Jamestown,"  declared  Calvert,  hotly;  "none 
knoweth  better  than  thou  how  they  have  fought 
us  at  every  step;  in  this  matter  of  Kent  they 
persisted  against  us  until  the  king's  express  com- 
mand forbade  them." 

"  There  would  be  no  help  there."  She  went 
back  to  the  chair  and  began  her  silent  tattoo  on 
the  table.  "I  see  naught,  I  see  naught." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  273 

"  And  when  Captain  Ingle  sends  hither  his 
soldiers,  which,  trust  me,  he  will  shortly  do  to  all 
the  great  manors,  ye  will  submit?" 

"  'T  were  useless  for  one  manor  to  fight  him." 

"Even  to  surrendering  me  prisoner?  " 

"  Calvert,  how  darest  —  and  ye  would  sit  still 
and  wait  such  issue !  I  'd  hie  me  to  the  Indians 
and  buy  their  aid." 

"  And  have  the  savages  to  retake  St.  Mary's 
for  me!  rather  would  I  never  set  foot  within  it 
again." 

Yet  Mistress  Margaret's  hot  words  had  given  a 
clue  to  his  thoughts.  "  There  are  soldiers  to  Be 
hired  in  Virginia,"  he  went  on  slowly,  putting  the 
thought  into  words.  "  Nay,"  as  Mistress  Margaret 
began  quickly  to  speak,  "  let  me  think  on  it  a 
moment,  my  thoughts  form  slowly,  thou  knowest;  " 
he  smiled  faintly  as  he  walked  to  the  window. 

Out  there  the  sun,  though  nearing  the  end  of 
this  most  disastrous  day,  shone  brightly ;  the  oak 
leaves  withered  and  dry,  yet  clinging  to  the 
branches,  writhed  and  rustled  in  the  brisk  wind, 
and  where  the  sun  struck  sharp  against  the 
river  it  glistened  as  though  flashed  back  from 
diamonds. 

Far  out  beyond  the  mouth  of  St.  Mary's  ran  the 
broad  Potomac,  its  southern  shore  but  showing  a 
dim,  misty  outline.  There  was  his  hope.  Calvert 
18 


274  MISTRESS   BRENT 

thought  it  out.  It  was  a  hazardous  plan,  and  yet 
his  only  one. 

He  came  back  to  Mistress  Margaret.  "  May- 
hap amongst  the  Virginia  planters  on  the  Potomac 
and  Rappahannock  I  may  hire  me  soldiers ;  they 
are  far  from  Jamestown  and  will  venture  much 
for  gain.  'T  is  the  only  plan.  I  must  get  me 
to  them,  and  journey  from  plantation  to  plantation 
to  get  a  force  together."  He  sank  in  the  chair 
opposite  her.  "  But  think,  Madge,  't  will  be 
months  ere  I  can  come  again,  if  then ;  and  what 
happiness  seemed  mine  !  Good  God  !  " 

"  Fret  not,  think  not  on  it,  only  be  up  and 
doing !  " 

"Aye,  I  know;  'tis  no  time  for  aught  save 
work,"  he  took  her  small  hand  and  spread  it 
upon  the  cover  of  the  table,  following  the  out- 
line of  each  finger  with  his  touch ;  "  and  't  is  best ! 
Sometimes  thought  is  well  nigh  maddening,  but 
not  now,  sweetheart,  when  I  come  again  I  '11  listen 
to  no  further  talk  of  partings.  There  have  been 
enough  already,  God  knows." 

He  pushed  her  hand  gently  away  and  rose  to 
his  feet. 

"  I  must  be  gone,"  he  said,  slowly  and  deter- 
minedly. 

"  Surely  not  now —  to-morrow." 

"  Aye,  now ;  no  need  to  think  and  let  the  canker 


MISTRESS   BRENT  275 

eat  the  deeper ;  "  Mistress  Brent  could  stay  him 
no  further,  the  feeling  was  what  she  herself  would 
have  felt. 

"  Take  thy  man  who  came  thither  from  St. 
Mary's  with  thee,"  she  counselled. 

"  Nay,  he  has  wife  and  children  and  must  return 
to  them." 

"  Then  will  I  send  him  back  with  hopeful  mes- 
sages to  thy  friends,"  she  said,  firmly ;  "  he  must  be 
cured  of  his  fright,  and  return  to  tell  them  to  bide 
quiet  for  a  time.  But  some  one  must  be  chosen  to 
bring  me  notice  of  thy  movements." 

"  I  will  send  one  of  the  men  who  did  bring  me 
hither." 

"  And  I  will  see  those  of  St.  George's  and 
Captain  Rogers  and  the  lords  of  the  manors ; 
many  will  be  found,  trust  me,  ready  to  aid  thee 
when  thou  comest,  only  —  be  not  long!" 

Calvert  looked  at  her  unsteadily.  "  Long,"  he 
muttered ;  then  he  drew  himself  up  as  a  soldier 
should.  "  I  will  call  my  men,"  he  said ;  and  then 
when  that  was  done  and  all  was  ready  for  depart- 
ure, *'  Good-by,  Margaret." 

"Say  it  not  in  such  fashion,  what  is  there  to 
hinder  thy  coming  again  and  yet  again?" 

But  Calvert  only  said  simply,  "  I  will  send  thee 
news  of  me." 

"  But  thou  wilt  come  some  day?" 


276  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"  Some  day  as  I  should,  to  take  my  own  again ; 
'til  then  —  " 

"  Say  '  farewell '  as  thou  didst  this  morn,  lightly." 

Calvert  was  quite  himself  again,  the  old,  quiet 
self. 

"  I  cannot,  there  is  a  great  gulf  fixed  'twixt  then 
and  now ;  "  he  came  near,  reading  her  nervous 
fright  in  her  eyes.  He  lifted  the  hand  he  held 
to  his  lips.  "  'Til  happier  days,  sweetheart," 
he  said,  and  was  gone.  Gone  ere  the  tears  had 
cleared  from  Mistress  Margaret's  eyes.  Far  as 
she  strained  her  sight  the  gleaming  sail  sped  on, 
through  sunset  and  dusk,  pointed  ever  to  that  dim 
horizon  beyond  the  river's  mouth,  across  the  broad 
Potomac,  till  the  dark  came  down  and  hid  it  from 
her  sight. 

There  was  no  word  of  him  for  many  days.  At 
St.  Mary's  all  was  as  he  said  it  would  be.  The 
ship  held  the  town.  Small  forces  were  sent 
hither  and  thither  to  demand  the  allegiance  of 
the  manors. 

Mistress  Brent  waited  for  them  at  St.  Anne's, 
vowing  in  her  heart  they  should  have  no  oath  of 
her.  She  watched  the  river  daily,  and  when  she 
saw  them  coming  and  knew  well  their  errand  she 
called  Jock. 

"  Thou  wilt  receive  yonder  men,"  she  com- 
manded, "  and  entreat  them  courteously ;  say  what 


MISTRESS   BRENT  277 

suits  thee  best,  but  for  me,  I  shall  get  me  to  the 
forest.  Not  a  word !  I  'd  burst  with  spleen  to 
see  those  villains  in  my  hall;  an  I  could  fight 
them  as  I  did  the  Indians,  I  'd  do  it  gladly !  But 
—  I  'd  face  every  danger  of  the  forest  ere  I  'd  have 
speech  with  them  !  When  they  are  gone,  come  thy- 
self to  the  edge  of  the  far  tobacco  field.  There  '11 
be  no  lingering  for  them  at  St.  Anne's,  no  rev- 
elry. Captain  Rogers  may  see  to  that." 

And  she  was  gone.  For  Mistress  Margaret  was 
already  head  and  front  of  the  governor's  party  in 
the  province.  The  man  had  been  returned  to  St. 
Mary's,  as  she  had  counselled ;  his  own  fears  had 
been  allayed  and  he  had  been  filled  with  tales  of 
what  the  governor  purposed  to  do  and  how  soon 
he  would  return,  only,  he  was  cautioned,  this  must 
be  done  under  oath  of  secrecy  and  to  the  gov- 
ernor's known  friends.  They  must  be  told,  like- 
wise, to  wait  quietly,  to  do  no  violence,  yet  to 
hold  themselves  in  readiness  to  aid  Calvert  when 
he  returned. 

To  his  friends  amongst  the  lords  of  the  manor 
she  was  prepared  to  send  messages  concerning 
him.  There  was  coming  and  going  all  winter. 
Yet  the  governor's  lot  was  far  harder  than  Mis- 
tress Brent  could  think. 

He  had  to  go  amongst  men  few  of  whom  were 
his  friends  and  few  of  whom  were  friendly  to  his 


278  MISTRESS   BRENT 

cause.  Here  and  there  he  found  those  who  en- 
treated him  kindly  and  fain  would  aid  him,  but 
found  it  hard  to  persuade  others  to  the  same 
mind.  From  plantation  to  plantation  he  went, 
sometimes  nigh  hopeless;  and  news  from  St. 
Mary's  meanwhile  was  most  disquieting.  Ingle's 
ship  was  indeed  gone,  but  the  men  he  left  were 
in  possession  of  the  town  and,  what  touched 
him  keenly,  the  manor-house  of  St.  John's  had 
been  destroyed,  burned  to  the  ground. 

Calvert  could  well  understand  with  what  hatred 
the  men  would  view  it.  There,  Thomas  Smith, 
the  prisoner  from  Kent,  had  been  tried,  there  he 
had  been  executed;  these  men,  his  friends  and 
avengers,  would  not  leave  a  brick  of  it  standing. 
The  loss  was  heavy,  and  most  of  all  because  the 
records  of  the  colony  were  stored  there  and  burned 
with  it.  The  stock  the  governor  had  been  at  such 
pains  to  procure  would  be  dispersed  and  lost. 

The  governor  in  his  exile  could  but  set  his 
mind  more  firmly  to  his  purpose.  His  messengers 
came  to  St.  Anne's  again  and  again,  and  many 
times  ere  there  were  good  tidings  to  be  brought. 
Then  came  this  note  to  Mistress  Brent: 

To  Mistress  Margaret  Brent,  — 

Greeting. 

Whereas  we  have  sent  oft  to  ye  tidings  as  to  how  we 
fared,  we  now  send  one  hither  with  news  more  to  our 


MISTRESS   BRENT  279 

mind  than  any  that  have  gone  hitherto,  namely,  that  we 
do  purpose  ere  many  days  be  passed  to  be  again  in  St. 
Mary's.  We  have  with  the  aid  of  our  good  friends  of 
Virginia  got  together  a  sufficient  force  to  contend  with 
those  that  William  Claiborne  and  Captain  Ingle  did  leave 
behind,  and  do  purpose  to  sweep  them  from  our  prov- 
ince. When  this  is  done  we  will  wait  upon  thee  at  St. 
Anne's.  Until  then  may  God  have  thee  in  charge. 
Thine  alway, 

LEONARD  CALVERT. 

Mistress  Margaret's  heart  was  filled  with  joy 
that  day.  That  a  raw  wind  blew,  and  the  river 
ran  gray  and  sullen  and  the  skies  were  leaden, 
mattered  not.  She  must  get  messages  to  her 
friends  and  have  them  hold  themselves  in  readi- 
ness, and  then,  hardest  of  all,  she  must  play  the 
woman's  part,  and  sit  still  and  wait  while  the 
actions  she  had  planned  went  forward. 

But  waiting  was  neither  long  nor  irksome. 
Scarce  had  a  week  gone  by  when  she  knew  Cal- 
vert  was  come  again  to  his  own,  the  soldiers  who 
held  St.  Mary's  were  driven  forth,  the  men  from 
the  hundreds  flocked  to  his  help,  and  then,  that 
they  had  sailed  for  Kent.  It  was  then  she  looked 
to  see  the  governor. 

He  might  have  come  to  her  at  the  first,  she 
had  reproached  him  in  her  heart.  Did  he  not 
know  why  he  found  the  colonists  in  such  readi- 


280  MISTRESS   BRENT 

ness  to  receive  them?  did  he  not  know  why  his 
work  was  made  easy?  had  she  not  writ  him  each 
plan  and  hope  ?  had  not  his  letters  been  full  of  fine 
speeches?  and  now  he  could  not  spare  a  day  from 
his  affairs,  she  argued,  and  was  nettled  thereby. 

But  Calvert  at  St.  Mary's  wrought  furiously. 
His  health  had  been  much  weakened  by  the  life 
he  had  led  in  Virginia;  he  had  been  exposed  in 
all  weathers,  he  had  gone  from  place  to  place 
urging  the  men  to  his  cause  and  reaching  where 
alone  they  could  be  touched  by  offering  so  high 
a  wage  that  all  he  had  stood  pledged. 

In  the  town  itself  was  dire  confusion ;  this  must 
be  straightened  somewhat  and  he  must  be  gone 
to  Kent.  And  as  Mistress  Margaret  watched  the 
ships  sail  by,  and  knew  her  brother  and  lover  were 
both  on  board  and  deemed  they  were  alike  neglect- 
ful, she  was  deeply  angered. 

Yet  again  the  ships  went  by  and  she  knew  her 
brother  was  re-established  in  his  commandery,  and 
she  was  angered  past  the  thinking  on  it. 

She  would  go  visit  Mary  —  no,  she  would  not 
see  her  in  such  mood  and  list  her  questioning  on 
the  governor's  absence ;  she  would  bide  at  home, 
she  would  find  something  to  do.  And  she  found 
it  straightway.  There  came  a  letter  from  Mistress 
Hawley.  The  governor  was  ill.  He  pleaded  for 
her  constantly.  Would  she  come,  and  at  once? 


XVIII 

MISTRESS  MARGARET  had  not  set 
foot  in  St.  Mary's  since  she  abode  in 
the  governor's  house  with  Giles,  two 
winters  agone. 

She  strained  her  eyes  to  read  the  meaning  of 
its  streets  and  houses.  The  wharf  lay  idle  save 
for  the  governor's  pinnace,  but  lately  come  from 
Kent ;  the  roots  of  the  great  white  mulberry  were 
deserted;  the  children  shrank  silently  away  as 
they  went  up  the  sandy  street ;  and  the  dooryards 
were  neglected,  the  houses  unkempt,  uncared  for. 
Weeds  grew  rank  where  flowers  had  bloomed, 
the  white  clover  thrust  its  head  where  English 
flowers  had  been  tended,  the  women's  faces  she 
saw  at  door  or  window  were  dull  and  listless.  At 
the  governor's  gateway  she  espied  Mistress  Haw- 
ley,  her  face  was  sadder  yet  than  all  the  rest  as 
she  swung  the  gate  open  hastily. 

"  I  heard  thou  wast  come,  and  thought  thee 
hurrying  to  my  own  house."  She  put  her  arm 
about  Mistress  Margaret  and  drew  her  within 
the  yard.  "  I  hasted  to  meet  thee,  though  I 
should  not  have  left  his  bed.  Margaret !  "  Mis- 


282  MISTRESS   BRENT 

tress  Hawley's  voice,  so  calm  and  steady,  broke 
suddenly  as  she  turned  her  face  quickly  away. 

"Is  my  cousin  so  ill?"  queried  Margaret, 
quickly. 

"111?" 

"  Katharine,  I  did  not  think  —  " 

"  Nor  did  any  of  us.  I  wrote  ye  — "  went  on  Mis- 
tress Hawley,  incoherently.  "  He  was  worn,  white, 
gaunt  when  he  came  back,  with  a  fierce  feverish- 
ness  in  his  manner.  His  gentle  courtesy  was  well 
nigh  gone ;  he  was  short  in  his  speech,  impatient, 
and  now  and  then  racked  with  cough."  They  were 
near  to  the  house  as  Mistress  Hawley  went  on. 
"  There  was  not  a  thought  of  friends ;  he  never 
came  nigh  me.  I.  saw  him  but  upon  the  streets; 
he  made  quick  work  of  all  to  be  done,  he  would 
sweep  the  town  of  those  insolent  soldiers  who 
swaggered  here  and  would  be  gone  to  Kent ;  and 
now  —  " 

She  turned  with  an  eloquent  gesture  of  sorrow. 
"  Do  not  look  startled,"  she  cautioned,  as  she 
helped  Margaret  lay  her  things  aside  in  the  guest 
chamber.  "  Come  !  "  she  led  the  way  to  Calvert's 
room.  "  Nay,  sweetheart,  pause  a  while,  wipe 
that  grief-stricken  look  of  awe  from  off  thy  face, 
let  not  his  eyes  rest  on  such ;  wait  here  in  the  hall 
but  a  moment."  She  was  gone,  and  came  back 
with  a  draught  of  wine. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  283 

"That  foolish  housekeeper,"  she  went  on  talk- 
ing on  indifferent  topics  and  eying  Margaret 
closely  the  while,  "  hath  lost  what  little  wits  the 
good  God  blessed  her  with.  Ye  should  see  the 
keeping  of  his  household."  Mistress  Hawley  had 
scarce  had  it  in  her  heart  to  leave  him,  such 
rough  care  had  he  come  home  to. 

The  color  had  returned  to  Margaret's  face, 
though  faintly.  "  Now,  sweetheart !  "  She  went 
softly  down  the  hall  to  a  door  at  the  end  and 
opened  it  gently.  Within,  the  light  was  darkened 
so  that  they  paused  a  moment  for  sight. 

A  great  bedstead  loomed  heavily  in  a  darkened 
corner,  a  table  by  its  side  was  filled  with  candle- 
stick and  drinking-vessel  and  a  tankard  of  some 
dark  drink.  At  the  foot  of  the  bed  cowered  the 
governor's  housekeeper,  fat,  indolent,  sullen,  and 
scared. 

Mistress  Hawley  stood  back  as  Margaret  went 
forward  close  to  the  rumpled  bed  where  the 
governor's  great  wasted  figure  lay;  his  lids  were 
closed  upon  his  deep-set  eyes  and  his  sunken 
cheeks  were  red  with  fever. 

Margaret  clenched  her  hands  as  a  quiver  of 
pity  shook  her  heart.  "  He  is  asleep ;  "  she  mo- 
tioned to  Mistress  Hawley,  who  went  up  to  the 
housekeeper.  "Ye  can  go  to  your  duties,"  she 
whispered.  "Ye  must  provide  for  us;  Mistress 


284  MISTRESS   BRENT 

Brent's  servants  will  bide  with  me,  and  she  her- 
self when  not  needed  here." 
:  Mistress  Hawley  knew  well  that  the  salvation 
of  a  household,  where  such  sickness  was,  lay  in 
the  keeping  as  much  as  might  be  to  its  quiet 
routine;  so  she  had  thought  to  add,  "Mistress 
Brent  will  be  an  hungered,  see  ye  provide  well 
for  her,  it  grows  already  late." 

She  seated  herself  in  the  chair  the  woman  left. 
"  Sit  down,  Margaret,"  she  whispered,  pointing  to 
a  chair  near  by. 

Margaret  shook  her  head,  her  lips  were  a- 
tremble  and  her  eyes  misty  with  tears.  Should 
he  waken  he  must  not  see  her  thus.  She  walked 
unsteadily  to  the  window;  the  battened  shutter 
was  ajar  and  showed  a  glimpse  of  green  grass 
and  tall  trees  and  the  creek  which  wound  its 
way  behind  the  governor's  house,  and  the  peace 
and  quiet  of  it  seemed  an  irony  to  the  woman 
who  stood  there  half-stifled  with  sadness.  The 
long  beams  slanted  lower  and  the  quiet  was  yet 
unbroken  in  the  room.  Margaret  came  again  to 
the  chair  by  the  bedside,  Mistress  Hawley  waited 
at  the  foot,  and  the  moments  sped  away.  The 
room  was  close  from  its  shuttering  against  heat 
and  light.  Mistress  Hawley  moved  quietly  to 
the  window  and  opened  it  to  the  evening  cool 
and  sweetness. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  285 

"  I  like  not  this  heavy  sleep,"  she  whispered, 
stealing  to  Mistress  Margaret's  side  and  pulling 
back  the  curtains  of  the  bed  for  the  fresh  air  to 
blow  upon  the  sick  man  there.  A  long,  low, 
slanting  beam  fell  full  upon  his  face,  showing 
each  sunken  feature  and  the  dread  look  that 
settled  upon  them.  . 

"  My  God ! "  cried  Mistress  Hawley,  and  at  the 
sudden  sharp  sound  Calvert's  eyelids  flickered 
and  opened.  In  the  golden  light  by  his  side 
shone  the  face  he  had  longed  for  bitterly  through 
many  desperate  days. 

"  Margaret,"  he  whispered  faintly,  and  then  a 
great  agony  shook  him.  Again  and  again  he 
strove  for  speech.  Mistress  Hawley  flew  for  aid ; 
but  when  they  reached  him  he  but  opened  his 
darkened  eyes,  half  raised  himself  to  reach  Mar- 
garet, and  begged  hoarsely,  "  Take  all,  pay  all," 
and  was  dead. 

What  followed  for  many  days  Mistress  Margaret 
knew  not.  It  was  but  a  daze  of  silence  and  great 
sorrow,  of  coming  and  going  of  grief-stricken 
folk,  of  the  gathering  together  of  the  colonists 
for  last  honor  to  the  well-loved  dead,  and  then 
again  silence  and  sorrow. 

She  was  within  the  governor's  house;  she  had 
never  thought  to  leave  it;  she  was  his  nearest  of 
kin.  By  and  by  Giles  would  be  come ;  they  had 


286  MISTRESS   BRENT 

sent  for  him.  Mistress  Hawley  tarried  with  her, 
and  it  seemed  to  the  quiet  woman  a  bitter  fate 
which  had  left  her  the  brunt  of  affairs  whilst  Mar- 
garet mourned.  She  longed  wildly  to  be  gone, 
to  be  within  her  own  house;  and  instead,  to 
tarry  there,  to  see  the  coming  and  going,  to 
answer  the  word  of  questioning  or  of  kind  in- 
quiry, seemed  insupportable.  She  felt  she  had 
reached  the  limit  of  her  durance  and  must  speak 
of  it;  she  must  make  occasion  to  rouse  Mistress 
Brent.  And  thinking  thus  she  wandered  without 
the  house.  The  air  within  stifled  her;  she  was 
tired  of  the  day  and  its  hard  duties,  tired  of  the 
warring  within  herself;  and  the  cool  fresh  air, 
the  sound  of  the  incoming  tide,  the  singing  of 
the  winds  overhead,  lured  her  farther  and  farther. 
The  quiet  and  peace  were  heavenly,  and  Mis- 
tress Hawley  drew  a  long  breath  of  delight  as  she 
paused  listening  to  that  voice  of  the  waves  that 
calls  and  calls  ever  to  its  restless  side,  and  then 
with  its  soothing  speech  of  eternal  things  quiets 
the  fever  of  the  heart. 

She  needed  the  lending  of  her  ear  to  its  whis- 
perings, for  Mistress  Hawley  was  well  nigh  dis- 
traught, and  yet  would  have  none  look  on  her 
wound.  Her  mouth  set  itself  in  sorrowful  curves ; 
that  restless  tossing,  that  constant  plaint  was  as 
if  of  her  own  soul,  and  she  must  teach  herself, 


MISTRESS   BRENT  287 

though  the  moaning  went  on  within,  to  look 
as  placid  as  she  had  seen  the  river  show  in  mid- 
summer heats. 

She  got  up  restlessly  and  went  on,  down  by  the 
little  wharf  beyond  the  house.  One  of  the  men 
of  the  governor's  household  was  tying  his  boat 
and  she  paused  to  have  speech  of  him,  careless 
speech  of  wind  or  tide  or  weather;  but  the  man 
had  other  and  more  serious  thoughts,  and  voiced 
them  suddenly. 

"  How  long  will  it  take  for  -news  to  reach 
over  seas?"  he  queried;  "and  who  will  take 
charge  of  affairs  'til  Lord  Baltimore  be  heard 
from?" 

A  great  shock  ran  through  Mistress  Hawley's 
tall,  supple  figure  as  she  turned  away  unanswer- 
ing;  she  had  not  even  considered  it,  who  should 
be  head  and  front  of  affairs  until  news  could  be 
sent  to  England  and  letters  from  the  Proprietor. 
Who?  There  was  but  one,  the  governor's  next  of 
kin  and  his  executor,  Margaret  Brent. 

She  went  with  firm  step  and  eyes  alert  into  the 
house.  The  twilight  had  deepened,  and  in  the 
living-room  sat  a  slender,  inert  figure  given  to 
the  dark  and  to  dark  thoughts.  She  walked  away, 
and  came  back  as  steadily  as  she  had  gone.  She 
held  pine  torches  within*  her  hands,  and  flint  and 
steel ;  and  she  stuck  the  torches  in  the  holes  upon 


288  MISTRESS   BRENT 

the  mantel-shelf  and  lighted  them  and  the  candle 
upon  the  table. 

"  Katharine,"  protested  Mistress  Margaret,  "  the 
light  blinds  me,  it  hurts  the  eye ;  "  and  Mistress 
Hawley  saw  the  lids  were  red  and  swollen,  yet  she 
had  steeled  her  heart  against  soft  pity.  She  went 
on  quietly  arranging  the  lights,  and  then  she  went 
behind  Mistress  Margaret,  closing  the  shutters. 

Again  Margaret  was  fretful.  "  It  is  hot  and 
close  with  all  this  light." 

"We  will  need  the  light,"  declared  Katharine, 
calmly.  "  Margaret,  come  over  here  beside  the 
table.  Where  did  the  governor  keep  his  papers?  " 

Mistress  Margaret  only  shook  her  head  petu- 
lantly. 

"  Come,"  called  Mistress  Hawley,  sharply.  "  Ye 
know  not?  What  is  here  on  this  table ?  Letters, 
instructions,"  she  fingered  the  papers  as  she 
went  on. 

"  Governor  Calvert  ever  kept  a  litter  of  them 
there." 

"  Aye,  when  he  was  here  to  see  to  them.  Ere 
he  died  he  left  his  affairs  to  one  who  totally 
neglects  them;  what  think  ye  he'd  say  an  he 
knew  these  had  been  left  to  every  comer?" 

Margaret  sprang  to  her  feet  as  though  she  had 
been  stung.  "  Katharine,  it  hath  been  not  yet  a 
week  —  " 


MISTRESS    BRENT  289 

"  Since  Leonard  Calvert  died,"  added  Mistress 
Hawley,  solemnly;  "yet  have  men  already  become 
restless  and  begun  to  wonder  what  will  be  next." 

"What  will  be  next!" 

"Where  have  thy  wits  been  wool-gathering?" 
stormed  Mistress  Hawley,  though  her  heart  chid 
her  at  Margaret's  stricken  face  and  wild  eyes 
beneath  her  heavy,  swollen  lids.  "  Who  is  to  ad- 
minister the  governor's  affairs  ?  " 

"  I,"  said  Mistress  Brent,  proudly. 

"  Mercy  o'  God  !  then  when  wilt  thou  be  about 
it?" 

Margaret  ran  her  shaking  fingers  across  her 
white  face  and  then  pushed  back  the  damp  hair 
from  her  temples. 

"When  the  colony  at  such  a  critical  moment 
grows  faint-hearted  for  lack  of  a  head,  and  the 
Virginia  soldiers  are  swaggering  in  the  streets  and 
muttering  for  their  pay,  'tis  time  the  governor's 
administrator,  an  he  had  one,  were  up  and  doing. " 

Mistress  Margaret  walked  across  the  room,  her 
eyes  gleaming  with  passion  and  her  cheeks,  that 
had  been  white  many  a  day,  aflame  with  anger. 

"  Ye  will  go  to  Deborah,  Mistress  Hawley,  and 
bid  her  send  hither  the  governor's  mails." 

She  seated  herself  at  the  table  and  picked  up 
nervously  the  first  parchment  her  fingers  touched, 
though  it  fair  unmanned  her ;  it  was  that  map  of 


290  MISTRESS   BRENT 

Maryland  drawn  out  with  plan  of  barony  and 
manor.  Here  in  this  chair  had  she  sat  as  she  de- 
manded of  the  governor  her  rights,  while  he  stood 
by,  a  calm  smile  on  his  kind  face.  She  laid  it  by. 
Here  was  the  seal  of  Maryland ;  she  held  it  in  her 
slender  fingers  while  her  mind,  quicker  than  its 
wont,  awakened  from  its  long  inactivity,  ran  over 
the  names  of  the  men  in  the  colony.  Who  should 
have  the  use  of  it?  The  power?  Giles?  Nay, 
there  was  a  narrowness,  a  want  of  ripeness  in 
his  views;  he  was  yet  unfit.  Thomas  Gerard? 
he  cared  too  much  for  the  making  of  his  own 
fortunes.  Captain  Rogers?  she  smiled  sarcasti- 
cally, and  her  own  slender  fingers  closed  more 
tightly  upon  it.  She  held  it,  by  the  governor's 
own  choosing;  there  was  none  amongst  them  all 
—  she  knew  it  by  the  light  of  her  own  intellect  — 
could  stand  so  well  in  the  governor's  place,  and 
she  would  stand  there  and  prove  it. 

No  one  knew  as  well  as  she  all  the  twisted 
strands  of  circumstance,  the  governor's  hopes,  the 
trial  through  which  he  had  lately  passed,  and  the 
Proprietor's  wishes ;  the  scenes  were  shifting  rap- 
idly, and  for  the  nonce  she  would  hold  her  own 
firmly. 

Her  face  was  as  proud  and  her  eye  as  cold  as 
Mistress  Hawley  had  ever  seen  them  when  she 
came  with  a  box  heavy  as  her  hands  could  clasp 


MISTRESS    BRENT  291 

and  put  it  and  the  key  upon  the  table  and  waited 
silent  for  the  space  of  a  moment.  Margaret  made 
no  sign,  not  even  lifted  an  eyelid.  She  came  be- 
hind her  and  slipped  her  arms  about  her  neck 
and  kissed  her  crimson  cheek. 

But  Margaret  scarce  turned;  she  went  on 
quietly  with  the  sorting  of  the  papers  already 
on  the  table,  and  Mistress  Hawley  went  away  out 
to  the  opened  door,  where  she  sat  herself  down 
listlessly  on  the  bench  within  the  porch. 

In  the  living-room,  blazing  with  its  lights,  Mis- 
tress Margaret  went  on  with  her  task. 

In  all  the  litter  on  the  table  was  little  of  impor- 
tance. She  opened  the  box.  Here  were  letters 
from  my  Lord  Baltimore.  She  looked  through 
them  warily;  many  were  of  such  nature  as  her 
cousin  complained  of.  Why  had  not  such  things 
been  done?  Why  was  there  not  given  him  a 
full  account  of  the  stock  on  St.  John's  manor? 
Had  the  cattle  he  had  bought  in  Virginia  been 
brought  thither?  Why  had  no  replies  been  made 
to  his  query  about  the  iron  foundry  he  purposed 
to  establish  in  the  colony?  Were  the  treaties 
with  the  Indians  yet  concluded?  Had  Leonard 
Calvert  obtained  their  relinquishment  of  all  the 
lands  the  king  had  granted  him?  he  would  have 
the  matter  settled  peaceably.  Where  were  the 
Indian  arrows?  it  were  time  they  were  sent  to 


292  MISTRESS   BRENT 

Windsor  Castle,  as  his  brother  well  knew  must  be 
done  each  year  in  token  of  his  fealty ;  he  should 
not  need  the  reminding  of  it. 

"  Good  God  !  "  muttered  Margaret,  as  she  thought 
on  these  and  on  the  Indian  troubles,  the  restless 
spirit  of  the  colonists,  their  stormy  assemblies,  the 
trouble  with  Kent. 

She  went  on.  Here  were  lists  of  land  grants; 
here  memorandum  of  his  indebtedness ;  here  were 
notes  received  in  his  Virginia  exile,  one  protesting 
the  writer  could  not  furnish  the  men  he  had 
promised ;  another,  the  men  would  not  serve  save 
for  higher  wage.  In  all  the  coil  of  trouble  but 
one  brightness.  Mistress  Margaret's  red  lips  quiv- 
ered. Here,  apart,  were  all  the  missives  she  had 
sent  him.  She  thought  on  their  wording.  Little 
there  was  of  love  and  not  much  of  tenderness  in 
them ;  would  God  there  had  been  some  touch  of 
affection !  Had  she  but  known  how  he  had 
worked  and  fretted ;  but  his  messages  to  her  had 
been  of  a  piece  with  his  oldtime  stately  kindli- 
ness, she  had  known  not  a  tithe  of  the  bitterness 
of  those  last  days. 

As  she  neared  the  end  of  her  task,  as  paper 
and  memorandum  passed  through  her  quick  rin- 
gers and  their  purport  through  her  quick  mind, 
one  strong,  unlooked-for  conviction  forced  itself 
upon  her :  Could  all  the  governor  held  be  turned 


MISTRESS   BRENT       /     293 

to  pounds  it  would  but  pay  his  debts  already 
accrued ;  the  man  who  held  the  granting  of  all 
Maryland  owned  not  an  acre  of  it ;  the  man  who 
had  begged  for  claims  for  other  men,  for  trad- 
ing privileges  for  other  men,  and  opened  to  them 
the  highroads  of  their  fortunes,  had  not  from  all 
the  venture  bettered  himself  a  pound  ! 

She,  too,  had  ventured  all,  yet  with  what  re- 
turns? For  her  manor  of  St.  Anne's,  her  buildings, 
her  servants,  her  furnishings,  she  would  not  take 
ten  times  her  first  expenditure.  She  had  known 
him,  generous,  thoughtful  ever  of  others  beyond 
himself,  but  this,  why,  scarce  a  colonist  but  had 
fared  better,  even  Mistress  Hawley,  with  her  early 
widowhood  and  poverty,  flourished  thriftily. 

But  Mistress  Hawley  in  the  darkness  of  the 
porch  had  no  thought  of  thrift,  only  a  bitterness 
of  heart,  an  angry  jealousy  that  would  not  be 
stilled  when  she  knew  another  hand  made  busy 
with  all  the  secrets  of  Leonard  Calvert's  life. 

She  had  kept  the  knowledge  from  her  own  eyes 
till  he  came  home  those  last  days,  ill  and  needful 
of  care,  and  she  had  ministered  to  him.  She  had 
thought  with  calmness  on  his  wedding  Margaret, 
the  fitness  of  it,  and  had  gone  her  way,  not  know- 
ing the  sorrow  in  her  heart  was  not  an  old  one. 
Now  she  knew,  and  face  to  face  with  the  knowl- 
edge must  fight  it  and  lay  it  low.  And  busied  with 


294  MISTRESS   BRENT 

her  bitter  thoughts  the  hours  sped  as  swiftly  as 
they  did  to  Mistress  Brent.  Dark  and  evening  and 
midnight  settled  on  the  town  as  they  held  each 
her  vigil. 

The  stars  glittered  in  the  zenith  and  all  the 
town  slept ;  but  by  and  by  Mistress  Hawley  was 
aware  of  footsteps  in  the  street,  indistinct  in  the 
soft  sand.  The  gate  opened,  the  steps  rang  firm 
on  the  gravel,  a  figure  alert,  erect,  loomed  in  the 
starlight,  Giles  Brent  had  come.  He  knew  not 
the  woman  he  had  loved  through  his  early  man- 
hood was  fighting  valiantly  with  the  feeling  which, 
unknown  even  to  herself,  had  kept  her  from  him 
as  far  as  the  stars  above  there  in  the  heavens. 


XIX 

ILES,"  said  Mistress  Margaret,  the 
morning  of  the  next  day,  "  't  is  neces- 
sary  we  should  have  a  meeting  of  the 
colonists  here  in  St.  Mary's." 

Giles  looked  at  her  thoughtfully  as  he  twisted 
the  pointed  beard  upon  his  chin.  "'Twill  be  diffi- 
cult now,  when  the  settlers  are  all  busied." 

"  Aye,  but  it  is  necessary."  Mistress  Margaret's 
listlessness  was  all  gone;  though  she  was  pale 
and  worn  she  was  as  alert  and  her  manner  as 
positive  as  it  had  been.  "  I  shall  send  the  sum- 
mons this  very  day." 

"Thou?" 

"  In  my  own  name.  The  governor  hath  named 
me  executor;  there  are  things  I  must  attend  to 
at  once." 

"  Thou  canst  send  my  man  James.  He  and 
my  pinnace  are  at  the  wharf." 

"  I  will  see  to  the  wording  of  the  messages." 

"  Margaret !  " 

His  sister  turned  inquiringly.  She  was  already 
half  way  down  the  hall. 


296  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"Where  is  Mistress  Hawley?  methought  she 
abode  with  thee." 

"  Only  until  ye  came."  She  was  impatient  to  be 
gone. 

Giles  followed  with  slow  footsteps  into  the 
living-room. 

"  Madge,"  he  said,  hesitatingly,  "  last  night  Mis- 
tress Hawley  appeared  distraught." 

Margaret  shrugged  her  shoulders  carelessly. 
"  She  hath  her  moods,  God  knows." 

"  Moods !  now,  if  ever  God  made  a  woman  who 
hath  them  not,  but  clear  common  sense  —  " 

"Tut,  and  what  man  hath  them  not,  likewise? 
I  am  tired  of  this  everlasting  prating  of  man  and 
womankind;  are  they  not  of  the  same  clay?" 

Giles  laughed  shortly,  "Tis  what  few  women 
say;  they'd  never  own  themselves  of  common 
clay." 

"  For  myself  I  feel  somewhat  less." 

Giles's  hazel  eyes  flashed  dark  and  keen. 

"  Hath  any  weakness  ruled  thee?" 

"  Ruled,  mayhap  ;  rule,  never  !  " 

"  Zounds  !  ye  are  not  often  so  exact." 

"  Sooth,  Giles,  stand  not  quibbling.  These  must 
be  writ  at  once.  I  would  ye  'd  find  your  man 
James  and  send  him  hither.  He  must  be  gone 
to  St.  George's  hundred.  I  '11  send  another  to 
Captain  Rogers." 


MISTRESS    BRENT  297 

Giles  held  his  wide  white-plumed  hat  in  his 
hand.  "  Then  I  '11  e'en  be  gone,"  he  said ;  "  't  is 
far  better  out  o'  doors." 

Inside  the  room  was  cool  and  dusky,  but  with 
the  look  of  emptiness  and  sorrow  a  house  will 
wear  when  the  head  of  it  is  stricken.  But  without 
the  grass  was  emerald  green;  clovers  lifted  their 
white  heads  in  neglected  corners,  shadows  on  lawn 
and  pathway  were  dense,  out  in  the  street  the  sand 
glared  in  the  bright  sun,  and  Giles  was  glad  to 
draw  the  wide  brim  of  his  hat  lower  to  shield  his 
eyes.  The  street  was  quiet,  men  were  gone  to  the 
fields  outside  the  town  or  fishing  in  the  river,  and 
the  boys  were  tending  the  cows  or  hogs,  or  play- 
ing far  along  the  shore.  Giles  lingered  at  the  gate- 
way, looking  down  towards  the  river  and  then 
upwards. 

"  Od,  zounds !  "  he  muttered,  "  't  is  too  hot  to 
seek  him  on  the  sands ;  I  '11  wager  a  pound  the 
fellow  is  at  the  coffee-house ;  "  and  he  turned  his 
back  to  the  river  and  went  on  up  to  the  crossing 
of  the  street,  which  soon  grew  at  either  end  to  a 
long  green  lane,  and  then  miles  away  to  a  blazed 
track  in  the  forest. 

At  the  coffee-house  some  dozen  of  men  were 
lounging  about;  the  landlord  stood  in  the  door, 
and  Giles  passed  close  looking  for  his  fellow. 

The  landlord  started  as  he  recognized  him,  for 


298  MISTRESS    BRENT 

Captain  Brent  had  spent  the  first  days  of  his  so- 
journ under  his  roof. 

"  Captain  Brent !  "  he  cried,  and  in  the  eagerness 
of  his  voice  was  something  more  than  welcome; 
"thy  man  was  here  this  morn.  I  did  look  for 
thee." 

"Is  he  within?"  queried  Giles,  when  he  had 
answered  the  man's  greeting. 

"  Aye,  he  is  e'en  now  at  a  game  of  bowls. 
But,  Captain  Brent,"  the  man  bowed  obsequi- 
ously, "  I  would  e'en  have  a  word  with  thee,  sir; 
in  truth,  there  is  somewhat  I  would  ask  of  the 
governor's  affairs,"  he  added  anxiously,  as  Giles 
stood  carelessly  hesitating  at  the  doorway. 

"Step  within,  sir;"  he  looked  around  him 
quickly,  about  the  open  door  and  the  tables  near. 
They  were  crowded  with  soldiers,  idly  indolent; 
through  the  back  door  gleamed  a  bit  of  greensward 
on  which  the  bowlers  played,  James  amongst  them. 
"  Thou  seest  we  have  much  company,"  he  con- 
tinued, with  a  sickly  attempt  at  facetiousness. 

Captain  Brent  barely  nodded. 

"  They  have  been  here  this  month,"  continued 
the  landlord,  sharply.  "  They  eat,  mercy  o'  God  ! 
they  eat  more  than  I  can  come  by.  I  have  a 
hunter  ever  in  the  woods,  a  fisherman  on  the 
river,  my  cellars  are  drained  dry.  These  Virgini- 
ans, too,  I  trust  them  not,  they  are  ever  too  friendly 


MISTRESS   BRENT  299 

with  Claiborne.  I  hear  strange  talk."  The  land- 
lord grew  fair  incoherent  with  the  fear  roused  by 
the  thought  he  would  convey. 

"Ye  would  hint  on  league  betwixt  them,"  said 
Giles,  bluntly. 

"I  —  I  hint  at  naught ;  but  think,  now,  they 
drove  the  invaders  forth,  they  held  the  town, 
they  could  do  it  now  an  they  were  so  minded, 
they  clamor  for  their  pay,  they  need  but  a  leader 
to  seize  it  some  day" 

"  Aye,"  said  Giles,  "  ye  mean  they  'd  over- 
power the  town." 

The  landlord  groaned,  "  Our  lives  would  not 
be  worth  a  ha'pence !  " 

"Tut,  man,  they  be  not  such  bloodthirsty 
rogues." 

"  Ye  know  not ;  they  are  devils,  fair  devils  !  " 

"Has  there  been  a  word  of  this  to  any  one?" 
said  Giles,  sternly. 

"Not  a  whisper,  a  breath.  I  know  not  where 
to  turn,  and  when  I  did  see  thy  man,  '  Mercy 
o'  God ! '  said  I,  '  the  captain  has  come  again  to 
St.  Mary's ;  't  is  him  I  will  tell  it  to.'  Truth,  't  is 
well  ye  are  come,  sir,  else  who  can  see  to  such 
affairs  now  that  the  governor,  God  bless  him 
for  a  good  and  noble  man !  — " 

"  Mistress  Margaret  Brent  hath  his  affairs  in 
charge,"  said  Captain  Brent,  stiffly. 


3oo  MISTRESS    BRENT 

"  A  woman  now,"  said  the  landlord,  eying  the 
captain  stealthily. 

"  But  one  who  will  know  full  well  the  best  to 
do,"  said  Giles,  loyally ;  "  trust  me  thy  score  will 
be  settled  soon  and  the  men  out  of  thy  sight. 
Lay  thy  fears  to  rest,  man,"  he  added,  sternly, 
"and  do  not  so  much  as  breathe  a  whisper;  ye 
know  how  such  fears  grow,  't  would  be  ill  for 
thy  cause  an  ye  did.  Trust  me,  all  will  soon  be 
settled  to  thy  liking,  and  that  of  all,  there  needs 
must  be  time  for  the  doing  of  it." 

He  turned  abruptly  and  went  out.  "  Send 
James  to  Mistress  Brent,"  he  called,  and  then, 
as  if  moved  by  second  thought,  he  came  back 
to  the  landlord.  "A  secret,  sirrah,  for  thine  own: 
we  call  a  council  at  St.  Mary's  at  once  of  all  the 
colonists  or  their  burgesses." 

The  landlord  brightened  even  more  than  at 
Captain  Brent's  promises.  He  was  used  to  prom- 
ises, empty  words,  but  this  sounded  like  very 
fact;  but  ere  he  had  time  for  speech  Captain 
Brent  was  gone.  He  watched  the  slender,  erect 
figure  bravely  attired  in  blue  and  gold,  the  wide 
hat  and  the  hair  curling  low  upon  his  collar,  the 
quick  turn  of  the  head  from  right  to  left  as  he 
passed  the  tables  where  the  soldiers  sat  idly  smok- 
ing without  the  door.  He  swept  his  hat  to  them 
carelessly  and  then  turned  quickly  up  the  street. 


MISTRESS    BRENT 


301 


There  was  yet  but  one  house  on  Mattaponi 
Street,  beyond  the  coffee-house,  —  Mistress  Haw- 
ley's.  Giles's  keen  eyes  gazed  from  door-yard  to 
house  and  yard  beyond.  The  roses  bloomed  in 
pink  clusters  about  the  door.  The  walnut  above 
the  spring  was  green  with  tender,  sweet-smelling 
foliage.  There  was  the  flutter  of  a  blue  gown  on 
the  pathway,  but  it  was  a  stolid  maid ;  there  was 
no  sign  of  the  mistress  anywhere.  Giles  entered 
the  wide-open  hall;  the  board  there  in  the  back 
of  it  was  bare  and  scrubbed  to  dazzling  whiteness, 
the  pewter  candlestick  struck  back  the  light  as 
if  it  were  a  mirror,  but  there  was  naught  save 
silence. 

He  went  out  down  the  pathway  to  the  dairy. 
He  could  hear  the  gurgle  of  the  stream  and  the 
song  of  the  mocking-bird  in  the  walnut-tree,  but 
the  dairy  door  was  fast  locked.  Mistress  Hawley 
had  come  home  in  the  faint,  gray  dawn,  and  had 
roused  the  men  and  maids  and  gone  herself  with 
them  to  the  fields  she  claimed  outside  the  town. 
He  could  but  return  to  the  governor's  house  to 
find  Mistress  Margaret  still  busied  about  her 
despatches,  and  hurrying  James  with  many  urg- 
ings  and  cautionings. 

"  These  must  be  delivered  first  of  all  to  Captain 
Thomas  of  St.  George's  hundred ;  with  good 
winds  —  how  serve  they,  favorably  ?  Then  ye 


MISTRESS   BRENT 

should  be  there  ere  midnight.  Ye  must  then 
proceed  to  the  manor  of  Delight  still  farther  up 
the  Potomac,  and  to  Phillipps's  Fancy  and  St. 
Gerard.  Your  mission  should  be  done  ere  to- 
morrow's sunset.  See  ye  tarry  not." 

Giles  heard  the  caution  and  added  some  short, 
stern  words  of  his  own  as  James  came  without. 

Truly  it  might  be  that  things  in  the  town  were 
more  serious  than  he  thought.  He  would  lay 
the  question  before  Margaret,  it  was  she  alone 
could  move  in  the  matter,  and  he  went  his  way 
to  the  living-room.  The  papers  were  pushed 
aside,  and  the  quill  Mistress  Margaret  still  held 
was  idle.  Giles  rested  himself  upon  the  table 
looking  down  at  her. 

The  look  on  Mistress  Margaret's  face  was  still 
distant,  as  though  she  thought  on  things  far 
away.  By  and  by  she  looked  up,  looked  again. 
"  Giles  !  "  she  cried,  sharply.  "  There  is  somewhat 
ye  would  say  to  me." 

"  I  but  waited  thy  speech,"  he  said,  quizzically. 

"  I  was  thinking  —  " 

"  'T  is  what  ye  need  to  do.  Zounds !  an  all  I 
hear  be  true  —  "  he  went  on  carelessly  and  exagger- 
atedly, bent  on  rousing  her. 

"  What  dost  thou  hear,  tales  hazy  as  the  morn- 
ing was?" 

"  And  stirring  as  it  hath  become." 


MISTRESS   BRENT  303 

"  Come,  Giles,  what  is  thy  news?" 

Giles  went  on,  speaking  at  first  carelessly 
enough,  then,  as  he  saw  the  intent  look  on  his 
sister's  face,  in  short,  rapid  words. 

Mistress  Margaret  sat  quite  silent  until  he  was 
done,  and  then  for  many  moments  afterwards. 
When  she  spoke  he  was  fairly  angered,  it  seemed 
so  foreign  to  what  he  had  been  telling. 

"  Giles,  the  governor's  horses  are  at  St.  Mary's ; 
ye  will  be  gone  with  me  to  St.  John's.  I  will  see 
that  Deborah  gives  us  somewhat  to  eat  at  once, 
and  thou  wilt  see  the  horses  be  brought." 

Through  the  early  dinner  and  the  long  ride  she 
had  few  words.  Why  should  they  go  to  St. 
John's,  he  wondered ;  but  his  eldest  sister  was 
well  loved  and  much  believed  in,  he  was  willing 
to  do  her  bidding  e'en  to  this.  Up  the  sandy 
street  they  rode  to  the  turn  of  Mattaponi  Street, 
and  then  out,  past  the  farm  of  Master  Crown, 
past  Courtenay's  Fancy,  though  the  way  was  now 
but  ill  defined,  across  green  fields  and  through 
thick  forests. 

Mistress  Brent  drew  rein  sharply  as  she  saw 
through  the  clearing  woodland  the  blackened 
ruins  of  the  manor-house.  Instead  of  the  great 
house  which  had  stood  there,  there  were  blackened 
chimneys  in  sullen  guard  above  a  heap  of  ruins; 
fencings,  barns,  stables  were  alike  gone;  the 


3o4  MISTRESS    BRENT 

maize  stalks  stood  in  last  year's  furrows,  weeds 
grew  thick  in  the  tobacco  fields,  no  fresh-turned 
earth  spoke  of  husbandry,  but  crows  called  and 
buzzards  wheeled  overhead.  In  all  the  provinces 
one  would  not  light  on  a  drearier  scene. 

"  Now,  pray  God,  Margaret,  what  hath  brought 
thee  hither?"  asked  Giles,  as  he  reined  his  horse 
by  her  side  and  gazed  with  her  on  the  scene  of 
desolation. 

Mistress  Margaret  was  looking  with  wide,  gray 
eyes  on  all  the  land  before  her;  there  it  ran 
sharply  to  the  bluff  above  the  broad  river,  there 
it  sloped  to  meadow  and  marsh  land.  Mistress 
Brent  turned  her  horse's  head  to  where  the 
marshes  shone  velvety  green.  Sweet-brier  and 
elder  bloomed  at  the  marsh's  edge,  and  green  cat- 
tails were  browning  amidst  long,  ribbony  leaves; 
blue  flags  waved  where  the  water  oozed  through, 
blackbirds  flitted  over  them,  song-sparrows,  and 
a  gorgeous  bird  barred  in  black  and  gold;  it  was 
the  oriole,  which  went  clad  in  the  livery  of  my 
Lord  of  Baltimore. 

But  Mistress  Brent  had  no  eye  for  waving  reed 
or  nodding  flag  or  flitting  bird ;  instead  she  eyed 
sharply  the  narrow  paths  made  here  and  there, 
meeting  and  crossing  and  winding  in  long,  zig- 
zags far  as  the  eye  could  reach.  She  urged  her 
horse  into  the  oozy  soil  and  searched  the  paths 


MISTRESS    BRENT  305 

for  marks ;  hoof  prints  of  cattle  showed  there, 
and  smaller  mark  of  hogs  and  goats. 

"  Giles,"  she  called  back  to  him,  "  what  care 
hath  been  taken  of  the  stock  the  governor  hath 
accumulated  here?" 

"  None,  I  trow ;  the  servants  took  refuge  in 
St.  Mary's  when  the  place  was  burned." 

"  And  no  account  hath  been  taken  of  the  cattle 
here,  I  '11  warrant  me." 

"  Claiborne's  and  Ingle's  soldiers  slaughtered 
them  for  beeves." 

"  Not  all,  I'll  swear;  look  here,  and  here,"  she 
pointed  with  the  dogwood  switch  she  held  to  the 
paths ;  "  and  this  is  not  the  only  pasture  land  upon 
the  manor. " 

She  turned  her  horse's  head  and  rode  inland 
along  the  marsh's  edge ;  here  the  land  rose  sharply 
to  a  tree-crowned  crest,  beyond  it  sloped  gently. 

Mistress  Brent,  who  was  ahead,  drew  rein  and 
signed  her  brother  to  be  silent.  "There,"  she 
cried  low  and  exultingly,  "there  must  be  the 
pay  for  those  soldiers." 

She  pointed  to  the  meadow,  where,  on  green 
grass,  by  a  trickling  stream  which  ran  down 
and  fed  the  marshes  and  forced  its  way  through 
rush-grown  banks  to  the  creeks  beyond,  there 
grazed  a  good  score  of  cattle,  —  cows  small  and 
wiry,  from  their  feeding  on  the  marsh,  and  a  wild- 


306  MISTRESS   BRENT 

looking  bull  who  shook  his  shaggy  head  as  if  he 
already  scented  danger. 

"  Where  be  the  elks,  I  wonder,"  said  Mistress 
Brent,  musingly. 

"  Dead  long  ago." 

"And  the  hogs?" 

"  They  Ve  taken  to  the  woods  and  been  hunted 
by  the  savages,  I  fear." 

"  Methinks  there  are  some  still  upon  the 
marshes." 

"  Come  further  along  the  creek,"  urged  Giles, 
seeing  now  her  bent. 

"  Ye  will  have  to  send  trusty  men  to  drive  them 
to  the  town ;  there  '11  be  purchasers  enow,  mayhap 
some  of  the  Council  will  desire  them,  and  we  will 
have  the  wherewithal  to  salve  these  dangers  thou 
didst  dwell  on,  for  let  me  tell  thee,  Giles,  the 
governor's  wealth  was  of  the  scantiest.  We  have 
seen  enough,"  she  said,  as  their  path  brought  them 
again  to  the  marsh's  side ;  "  and  there  is  yet  an- 
other task  for  the  day,"  she  told  herself  as  they 
rode  homeward,  purpose  forming  strong  within 
her. 

They  passed  the  cowherds  near  the  town,  driv- 
ing in  the  cattle  from  their  common  pasture ;  they 
passed  the  men  and  maids  returning  dusty  from 
the  work  in  maize  fields  or  tobacco  acreage ;  they 
passed  Mistress  Hawley,  looking  spent  and  grave, 


MISTRESS   BRENT  307 

for  she  had  been  all  day  overseeing  her  fields ;  she 
bowed  calmly  as  Giles  swept  his  hat  and  Mistress 
Margaret  nodded  carelessly. 

Above  the  great  forest  inland  the  sunset  light 
shone  in  wide  red  bars  with  pale,  clear  green  be- 
tween, the  river  ran  yet  tinged  with  opalescent 
dyes,  when  Mistress  Brent  came  softly  out  of  the 
governor's  house,  the  folds  of  her  long,  rich  gown 
held  high  in  her  slender  hands.  Her  dark  hair 
was  coiled  upon  the  head  and  stuck  through  with 
jewelled  daggers,  her  bare  arms  and  neck  shone 
white  and  fair,  dainty  slippers  crushed  the  gravel 
lightly  as  she  passed,  and  her  bright  face,  though 
it  had  lost  its  look  of  piquant  coyness,  shone  with 
purpose  and  with  spirit.  Mistress  Margaret  looked 
behind,  none  watched  her ;  she  closed  the  gate  and 
walked  upward,  then  turned  toward  the  coffee- 
house. 

The  soldiers  were  done  with  their  suppers  and 
gathered  about  the  tables  at  the  open  doorway, 
smoking ;  dusky  wreaths  floated  about  their  heads, 
the  dewy  evening  air  was  scented  with  the  pungent 
odor  from  their  pipes.  Through  the  window  she 
could  see  the  landlord  idly  standing,  and  the 
maids  clearing  the  boards  where  men  neither 
dainty  nor  well-bred  had  fed. 

Mistress  Brent  walked  on,  her  chin  tilted  in  the 
air,  her  gray  eyes  dark  and  wide  opened ;  she 


3o8  MISTRESS   BRENT 

crossed  the  sandy  street,  came  quite  up  between 
the  rows  of  tables,  and  paused  upon  the  wide  step 
of  the  doorway.  There  she  turned  and  faced  the 
men,  who  gazed  upon  her  wide-mouthed  with 
astonishment. 

"  Soldiers  of  the  governor,"  she  began  in  clear, 
ringing  speech,  and  every  man  was  silent,  feeling 
her  words  were  meant  for  him  and  him  alone. 
"  Soldiers  of  the  governor,  it  hath  but  lately  been 
brought  to  my  ears  that  ye  tarry  here  unwilling, 
waiting  the  settlement  of  your  affairs,  and  in  truth 
I  should  have  already  known,  save — ye  know 
well  the  sorrow  which  hath  befallen  us,"  and  her 
voice  sank,  and  each  man  felt  his  heart  a-tremble 
within  him.  "  We  have  been  selfish  and  thought 
not  of  others,  but  he  who  brought  ye  hither  and 
whom  ye  so  bravely  served,  his  last  words  were 
that  ye  should  be  paid,"  she  was  straining  the 
point  in  the  intensity  of  her  feelings,  "that  ye 
should  be  paid  to  the  last  shilling.  He  did  adjure 
me  that  I  should  see  to  it,  but  I,"  she  spread  her 
slender  hands  apart,  "  I  have  been  forgetful.  I 
pray  your  pardon,"  her  voice  sank  gently ;  "  but 
within  the  week  the  pounds  shall  be  yours."  Her 
voice  rose  clear  and  strong,  "  Within  the  week 
ye  shall  have  yours  to  the  last  shilling,  and  get 
ye  to  your  wives  and  sweethearts  who  await 
ye!" 


MISTRESS    BRENT  309 

And  then,  like  a  woman,  her  speaking  done,  she 
could  not  walk  calmly  again,  as  she  had  purposed, 
back  to  the  street  and  down  to  Mistress  Hawley's, 
but  she  must  whirl  within  the  hall  and  slam  the 
door  close  shut  and  stand  quivering  behind  it 
while  the  landlord  strove  to  mumble,  though 
his  voice  was  fair  choking,  "  God  bless  ye  for 
rousing  them  all  this  day !  Ye  know  not  what 
danger  ye  have  saved  us  from;  they  waxed 
desperate." 

She  had  saved  his  coffers,  or  so  she  had  prom- 
ised ;  and  she  had  saved  them  from  worse  things, 
he  knew.  But  Mistress  Brent  had  pushed  past  him 
and  gone  flashing  through  the  hall,  her  long  train 
upon  her  arm,  and  was  running  through  dew-wet 
grass  which  soaked  her  dainty  slippers  and  silken 
hose,  along  the  pathway  trodden  to  the  cold 
spring  beneath  the  walnut,  to  Mistress  Hawley. 

She  fled  unseen  by  the  men  about  the  doorway, 
who  were  silent,  thinking  on  her,  or  talking  with 
great  oaths  of  her  words  and  promises,  —  fled  to 
the  thick  shadow  of  the  walnut.  The  slam  of  the 
dairy  door  and  the  grating  of  the  lock  broke  on 
her  ear.  Mistress  Hawley,  slow  and  sad  and 
weary,  walked  up  the  hillside;  Margaret  sprang 
upon  her,  her  white  arms  trembling  about  her 
neck. 

"  Forgive  me,  Katharine ;    forgive   me,  I   pray 


3io  MISTRESS   BRENT 

thee  !    I  have  done  much  to-day  that  thou  wouldst 
have  me  do." 

And  Mistress  Hawley  drew  a  long  quivering 
breath  of  relief.  She  scarce  had  known  herself 
how  heavily  the  anger  of  her  friend  had  weighed 
on  her. 


XX 

WHATEVER  she  had  thought  of  her 
woman's  charms,  her  woman's  heart 
sank  within  her  when  Mistress  Brent 
thought  on  the  council  she  had  summoned.  Not 
one  of  those  who  would  come  thither  but  knew 
well  the  tale  of  the  past  years.  They  knew  her 
friendship  with  the  governor,  mayhap  they  guessed 
at  more.  With  her  sorrow  fresh  upon  her,  she 
knew  no  impulse  could  save  her  now,  no  gay 
flauntings  turn  men's  thoughts  as  she  would  have 
them,  she  must  go  her  way  as  bravely  as  she 
had  ever  done. 

Once,  in  truth,  her  heart  sank  in  a  very  panic 
of  fear;  it  was  as  she  peered  from  her  chamber 
window  in  the  governor's  house,  where  she  still 
abode,  and  watched  the  tall  figure  of  Thomas 
Gerard  coming  up  the  gravelled  pathway.  Giles 
was  by  his  side,  and  the  early  sunlight,  for  the 
sun  was  newly  risen  above  the  river  and  chased 
the  morning  mists  from  street  and  field  and  forest, 
shone  on  the  tall,  stern  figure.  Mistress  Margaret 
knew  the  brave  deeds  he  had  done  when  a  soldier 
in  the  foreign  wars,  she  knew  how  well  he  ruled 


312  MISTRESS   BRENT 

his  manor,  —  as  a  king  should  govern  his  country ; 
she  watched  his  serious  face  as  they  paused  for  a 
space  at  the  porch  step,  and  through  the  heavy 
morning  air  came  snatches  of  their  talk.  She 
clenched  her  hands  nervously. 

There  were  other  footsteps  on  the  gravel,  and 
others ;  the  crunching  rang  in  her  ears.  Was  the 
whole  province  come  hither?  She  turned  away 
resolutely  to  the  window  at  the  other  side  of  her 
chamber  and  leaned  out  in  the  morning  stillness. 

Here  she  could  see  the  chimneys  adown  the 
street  and  the  thin  smoke  wreaths  that  spoke  of 
morning  duties ;  the  air  was  filled  with  dewy  scents 
of  roses  and  sweet  clover,  mocking-bird  and  robin 
and  wren  sang  in  the  branches,  and  the  mists  were 
fair  gone  from  the  river. 

The  hour  was  late,  she  faced  about  proudly  and 
went  with  firm  steps  along  the  hall. 

Was  there  any  sinking  of  heart  as  she  entered 
the  big  living-room  and  saw  the  many  men  as- 
sembled there,  they  saw  it  not.  She  knew  them 
all,  those  who  had  favored  Calvert  in  his  exile 
and  aided  his  return,  and  those  who  held  them- 
selves lukewarm;  yet  she  greeted  all  as  those 
who  mourned,  and  she  laid  before  them  the 
questions  which  beset  her  and  petitioned  their 
assistance. 

Did  one  of  them  remember  in  his  quiet  hours 


MISTRESS   BRENT  313 

afterward  her  round  cheek  aflame  with  earnest- 
ness and  her  brilliant  eye  and  low,  searching 
voice,  her  quick,  incisive  speech?  Did  one  of 
them  recall  her  account  of  the  governor's  behest 
and  how  their  hearts  had  been  moved  within  them 
at  her  simple  words  and  downcast  eye,  or  passing 
from  that  to  her  speech  as  to  her  pressing  emer- 
gency, to  her  account  of  the  menacing  Virginians, 
while  the  men  were  astounded  that  they  should 
have  been  so  careless  as  to  such  dangers  ?  Did  one 
of  them  remember  how  she  had  carried  them  with 
her  from  the  first  moment  when  she  had  entered 
the  living-room  and  they  had  ceased  their  talk  to 
greet  her? 

There  was  a  word  for  each  man ;  did  they  think 
to  condole  with  her,  she  had  words  already  framed 
for  asking  of  their  own  affairs. 

When  she  asked  their  will  as  to  the  use  of  the 
governor's  seal,  Sir  Thomas  Gerard  was  quick 
and  none  gainsaid  him.  Calvert  had  left  her  his 
authority,  and  so  it  should  be  until  there  was  time 
to  send  overseas  and  learn  the  Proprietor's  will. 

She  questioned  them  as  to  the  selling  of  the 
cattle  from  St.  John's ;  they  pledged  their  willing- 
ness, and  would  buy  readily  and  pay  such  price  as 
would  necessitate  the  selling  of  but  few. 

Never  was  a  council  so  harmonious  held  in  the 
colony.  They  had  been  ever  ready  to  take  issue 


3i4  MISTRESS   BRENT 

with  Leonard  Calvert,  to  claim  their  rights  and 
assert  their  freedom  from  much  Lord  Baltimore 
claimed.  Now,  in  common  danger  and  common 
sorrow,  they  were  united  about  the  slender  woman 
who  consulted  them.  They  would  hold  the  prov- 
ince together ;  would  be  in  readiness  to  meet  the 
savages  who  were  recovered  from  their  losses, 
were  eager  for  revenge,  and  might  take  advantage 
of  their  weakness  to  fall  upon  them ;  they  would 
pay  the  Virginians  and  send  them  peaceably 
away. 

Sir  Thomas  Gerard,  sailing  homeward,  thought 
of  it  all ;  thought,  too,  of  the  heaviness  with  which 
he  had  obeyed  her  summons,  of  the  dissensions 
he  knew  of  amongst  the  colonists  and  feared  might 
break  out  there. 

"  Aye,"  he  said,  whimsically,  "  she  is  the  only 
man  amongst  us  all  who  could  have  done  it." 

He  knew  not  then  how  soon  he  would  be  called 
to  defend  her,  nor  how  valiantly  he  would  do  so. 

As  for  Mistress  Brent,  she  set  herself  vigorously  to 
the  carrying  out  of  the  plans  she  knew  Calvert  had 
cherished,  and  more  beside.  In  less  than  a  week 
she  watched  the  Virginians  sail  homeward;  she 
was  here  and  there  in  the  homesteads  of  the  town 
heartening  all.  Men  were  encouraged  to  go  vigor- 
ously about  their  affairs ;  the  summer's  sailing  had 
set  in,  and  ships  were  being  loaded  at  the  town 


MISTRESS   BRENT  315 

and  at  the  wharves  of  the  manor-houses;  the 
season  was  favorable,  and  maize  and  tobacco 
flourished.  In  all  things  Mistress  Margaret  pros- 
pered save  one.  She  must  depart  for  St.  Anne's, 
and  would  have  Mistress  Hawley  accompany  her ; 
but  Mistress  Hawley  was  obdurate. 

"  Katharine,"  she  begged,  "  I  ne'er  saw  thee  so 
spent  and  worn ;  pray  God  ye  be  not  failing  with 
the  prevailing  sickness.  Thou  art  all  unfit  to  tarry 
here  alone.  Come  with  me  to  St.  Anne's." 

Katharine  put  her  pleading  by  with  scarce  a 
word.  It  was  impossible,  she  declared,  when 
further  pressed ;  she  could  not  leave  when  it  was 
so  necessary  she  should  bide  at  home  and  see  to 
the  business  of  her  fields  and  dairy.  And  Mistress 
Margaret  fell  to  wondering  on  the  old  subject  of 
Mistress  Hawley's  living. 

There  was  not  a  woman  of  her  station  who 
wrought  harder;  the  indenture  of  most  of  her 
servants  had  been  passed,  yet  had  she  sent  for 
others;  here  and  there  were  new  furnishings,  the 
house  looked  not  so  scant  as  of  old ;  the  work  of 
her  hands  prospered.  Yet  Margaret  took  it  to 
heart  that  she  would  not  go  with  her.  She  went 
puzzling  over  Katharine's  mood,  even  to  asking 
her  brother  about  it.  But  Giles  was  well  nigh  as 
moody  as  Katharine.  Mayhap  there  had  been 
words  of  his  own  in  protest,  and  she  had  flouted 


316  MISTRESS  BRENT 

him  as  she  had  done  his  sister.  Both  must  go 
and  leave  her,  —  Mistress  Brent  to  come  again  and 
again,  to  bide  in  her  house  as  she  took  heed  to 
the  affairs  of  the  colony,  but  Giles  to  see  her  no 
more  until  he  gathered  with  the  burgesses  of  the 
colony  called  to  Assembly. 

Letters  had  come  from  overseas.  My  Lord  of 
Baltimore  was  wroth  even  beyond  the  powers  of 
his  biting  speech  that  at  such  a  crisis  in  his  affairs, 
when  he  could  scarce  hold  his  own  in  England, 
the  settlers  should  have  acknowledged  a  woman 
as  his  representative,  and  then,  as  if  it  needed  but 
a  spark  to  fire  his  glowing  anger,  that  woman 
should  have  laid  sacrilegious  hands  upon  his  cattle 
carefully  gathered  at  such  trouble  and  cost.  Little 
did  he  reck  that  her  doing  so  had  saved  him 
from  such  close  danger,  that  her  prompt  action 
and  quick  judgment  and  wise  conduct  of  affairs 
perhaps  preserved  his  colony  to  him ;  he  thought 
but  of  the  cousin  who  had  bided  with  him,  and  was 
furious  that  her  slender  hands  should  have  held 
the  reins  of  his  government. 

And  these  letters  must  be  read  and  acted  upon 
and  answered. 

"  Right  Honorable,"  wrote  Gerard  for  the  men 
of  the  Assembly,  possessed  alike  by  a  very  flame 
of  anger  that  the  Lord  Proprietor  should  so  have 
belittled  Mistress  Brent  and  so  berated  them. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  317 

RIGHT  HONORABLE,  —  Great  and  many  have  been  the 
miseries,  calamities,  and  other  sufferings  which  your  poor 
distressed  people,  inhabitants  of  this  province,  have  sus- 
tained here  since  the  beginning  of  the  heinous  rebellion 
first  put  in  practice  by  that  pirate  Ingle.  Now  all  is 
past  and  calm,  and  the  whole  province  in  perfect  subjec- 
tion again  under  your  lawful  government  and  authority. 

As  for  Mistress  Brent's  undertaking  and  meddling 
with  your  Lordship's  estate  here,  we  do  verily  believe, 
and  in  conscience  report,  that  it  was  better  in  her  hands 
than  in  any  man's  else's  in  the  whole  province,  after 
your  brother's  death ;  for  the  soldiers  would  never  have 
treated  any  other  with  that  civility  and  respect,  and 
though  they  were  even  ready  at  several  times  to  run 
into  mutiny,  still  she  pacified  them ;  and  she  hath  rather 
deserved  favor  and  thanks  from  your  Honor  for  her  so 
much  concurring  to  the  public  safety,  than  to  be  justly 
liable  to  all  those  bitter  invectives  you  have  been  pleased 
to  express  against  her. 

After  such  warm  championship  of  her  cause, 
Mistress  Brent  purposed  a  step  the  burgesses  had 
not  thought  on. 

The  Assembly  yet  held  its  meetings,  and  though 
she  was  no  longer  the  Proprietor's  representative, 
still  was  she  Calvert's  attorney  and  one  of  the 
largest  landowners  in  the  colony.  She  who  was 
a  week  ago  the  head  of  the  government  would 
demand,  now,  a  voice  in  the  Assembly. 


318  MISTRESS   BRENT 

The  morning  of  that  January  day  was  bitter  cold. 
Mistress  Margaret,  her  morning  meal  finished  at 
Mistress  Hawley's  board,  shivered  as  the  icy  blasts 
howled  about  the  house  and  blew  the  flickering 
flames  far  out  on  the  hearth,  and  bent  and  curled 
the  red  light  of  the  pine  torches  stuck  in  the 
mantel-shelf  to  aid  the  sullen  light  of  early  dawn. 
Mistress  Hawley  herself  made  a  little  exclamation 
of  dismay  at  the  howling  blast. 

"  There  is  storm  and  snow  abroad,  Margaret," 
she  said ;  "  thank  God  we  can  bide  indoors  to-day." 

Mistress  Margaret  was  silent;  and  Katharine, 
who  had  learned  much  of  her  moods,  knew  from 
her  darkened  face  there  was  some  warfare  and 
strife  within. 

"  Margaret,"  she  protested,  as  Margaret  pushed 
away  her  plate,  the  food  scarce  touched,  "  thou 
hast  scarce  eaten  a  mouthful;  surely  thou  hast 
not  finished?  This  venison  is  tender  and  tooth- 
some, or  there  is  cold  capon  within  the  kitchen." 

"  Nay,  thy  fare  is  of  the  best ;  "  she  pushed  back 
her  chair  absent-mindedly  and  went  over  to  the 
window-pane  and  breathed  upon  the  ice  fronds 
and  wiped  them  away  with  her  handkerchief  of 
lace.  Outside,  the  stiffened  rose-bush  rattled 
against  the  casement;  the  snow  drifted  over  the 
door-yard;  down  the  street,  gray  and  ghastly  in 
the  early  morning  light,  the  fierce  wind  whirled 


MISTRESS   BRENT  319 

the  powdered  snow  in  clouds.  About  the  coffee- 
house it  had  blown  in  great  drifts,  and  the  close- 
shut  door  made  it  seem  a  house  deserted ;  but  as 
she  looked  the  door  was  thrown  open ;  she  could 
see  the  red  light  shine  out  in  the  snow,  and  men, 
wrapped  in  long  cloaks  close  drawn  about  their 
faces,  their  wide  hats  pulled  low,  came  hurriedly 
out.  There  was  Thomas  Gerard,  stately  and  sol- 
dierly ;  there  was  Thomas  Wair  from  the  Potomac ; 
there  was  that  rank,  disaffected  Hammond ;  there 
was  Richard  Preston  from  his  new  claimed  manor 
on  the  Patuxent;  there  was  Giles,  she  knew  his 
quick,  firm  walk,  and  straight,  slender  figure ; 
there  was  her  brother-in-law,  Rogers.  She  rubbed 
a  bigger  space  with  her  hot  palm  on  the  pane  and 
watched  them  around  the  curve.  She  well  knew 
where  they  were  going.  The  sunrise  gun  had 
sounded  and  the  gun  for  the  half  hour  afterward, 
though  the  morning  was  too  dull  to  know  the  sun- 
rise save  by  the  hour.  They  wended  their  way  to 
the  fort,  in  which  they  would  hold  the  day's  session 
of  the  Assembly. 

But  yesterday  she  had  sat  amongst  them,  their 
honored  head;  to-day,  to  give  full  edge  to  her 
bitterness,  a  heavy  step  came  crunching  beneath 
the  window.  Jock,  foreman  and  holder  of  prop- 
erty upon  her  estate,  was  bound  thither  likewise ; 
he,  now,  had  a  right  to  sit  in  the  sessions  and  add 


320  MISTRESS   BRENT 

his  voice  to  the  vote.  She  crushed  her  thumbs 
to  the  palms  of  her  hands  as  she  turned  about. 

Mistress  Hawley  was  gone  from  the  board; 
through  the  open  door  she  could  see  her,  as  one 
in  mental  disquiet  will  see  and  note  each  detail 
they  gaze  on,  unknowing  how  clearly  it  is  for  all 
time  imprinted  on  their  minds ;  she  saw  Katha- 
rine's tall  figure  at  the  kitchen  fire,  the  haunch 
of  venison  on  the  spit,  the  cook  but  newly 
brought  from  overseas  gazing  stolidly  at  her 
mistress  as  she  cautioned  her  as  to  the  basting 
and  browning  of  it.  Margaret,  too,  gazing  at  her 
face,  noted  with  a  shock  of  surprise  how  slender 
the  figure  had  grown,  how  thin  the  outline  of 
the  cheek,  how  big  and  bright  the  deep  blue 
eyes.  Then,  as  if  each  detail  were  never  to  be 
forgot,  she  saw  the  sanded  floor,  the  rough  bench 
near  the  fire  where  the  servants  rested  in  the 
eventide,  and  caught  the  scarlet  gleam  from  the 
loops  of  pepper  overhead  and  the  silvery  sheen 
of  the  ropes  of  onions. 

Yet  the  long  look  was  but  for  a  moment.  Mis- 
tress Hawley  reached  for  a  leaf  of  sage  and  a 
sprig  of  savory  from  the  low  rafters  overhead, 
and  Mistress  Brent  turned  and  went  quickly  to 
her  chamber  in  the  attic.  There  on  a  wooden 
peg  behind  the  door  hung  her  rich  fur  cloak; 
here  were  heavy  boots.  She  slipped  her  feet 


MISTRESS   BRENT  321 

from  her  slippers;  they  were  icy  cold  from  the 
draughts  along  the  floor,  but  she  heeded  it  not, 
though  the  corn-cob  coals  were  red  upon  the 
hearth,  and  fastened  the  thongs  of  her  heavy 
boots.  She  looked  quickly  at  her  dress;  the 
brown  paduasoy,  short  of  skirt  and  slashed  about 
the  bodice  with  scarlet  would  serve  her  purpose 
well.  She  thrust  her  arms  into  the  warm  thick- 
ness of  her  cloak  and  drew  the  hood  about  her 
resolute  face. 

Down  the  stair  and  out  the  hall  she  made  her 
way  with  word  to  none.  Outside  the  icy  wind 
caught  her  and  fair  whirled  her  off  her  feet,  but 
Mistress  Brent  threw  back  her  head  and  smiled 
at  the  wintry  touch.  She  was  bent  on  contest, 
and  contest  with  the  storms  but  whetted  her 
humor.  She  noted  with  keen  eyes  every  drift  and 
curious  whirl  of  snow  along  her  way,  and  saw  how 
heavy  the  smoke  hung  over  the  wide  chimneys  of 
the  coffee-house ;  saw  the  rift  which  came  in  the 
clouds  toward  the  east  and  the  long  rays  of  the 
sun  showing  fanwise  through  it,  and  the  crows 
flocking  overhead,  and  thought  on  the  Indian  say- 
ing that  augured  from  such,  —  windy  weather  and 
a  clearing  sky  ere  nightfall. 

By  the  governor's  house  she  made  her  way  and 
noted  its  deserted  look,  for  Deborah  kept  to  her 
kitchen,  and  save  for  the  servants  it  was  unten- 

21 


322  MISTRESS   BRENT 

anted.  How  heavy  the  snow  drifted  against  close- 
shut  door  and  window,  on  shrubbery,  tree,  and 
vine !  but  the  path  by  it  and  down  to  the  fort 
where  the  Assembly-men  met  was  well  trodden. 
The  creek  was  still  and  mute  beneath  the  icy  coat 
that  could  have  borne  the  huntsman  to  the  snow- 
covered  forest  beyond  an  he  had  not  been  busy 
in  the  meeting  at  the  fort. 

Sh.e  put  her  hand  upon  the  buttoned  door  and 
without  a  moment's  thought  was  within ;  nor  did 
she  look  to  right  or  left  or  heed  any  curious 
glances  as  she  undid  the  fastenings  from  her 
cloak  and  slipped  the  hood  from  her  dark, 
roughened  hair.  That  done  she  looked  about 
her  steadily:  one  had  been  speaking  who  made 
pause  at  her  entry,  and  in  the  mute  astonishment 
of  the  Assembly  resumed  his  seat.  This  was 
the  time  for  the  utterance  of  those  flaming  sen- 
tences which  had  burned  within  her  all  night. 

"  Gentlemen,"  she  said  firmly,  and  there  was 
no  sound  in  the  room  save  her  fresh,  clear  voice 
and  the  howling  of  the  wind  outside,  —  "  Gentle- 
men, I  come  to  claim  a  vote  in  this  Assembly." 

The  newly  appointed  governor  moved  anxiously 
in  his  chair,  and  Giles,  after  one  shrewd  glance 
from  face  to  face,  turned  his  keen  gaze  upon  the 
glowing  logs  at  the  far  end  of  the  room,  whose 
heat  scarce  took  the  edge  from  the  bitter  air,  so 


MISTRESS   BRENT  323 

that  the  Assembly-men  sat  for  the  most  part  with 
their  cloaks  about  them. 

The  silence  grew  painful,  until  Gerard  rose  cour- 
teously. "  Mistress  Brent,"  he  said,  slowly,  "  't  is 
against  the  terms  of  the  charter  of  Maryland." 

"And  wherein  is  this  stated?"  she  asked, 
quickly. 

Gerard  hesitated  for  a  moment,  but  another, 
in  quick,  raucous  tones,  was  answering  for  him. 

"  'T  is  so  expressly  stated  in  the  laws  of  the 
Assembly." 

Mistress  Brent's  gray  eyes  flashed  full  on  Cap- 
tain Rogers's  face  ere  he  sat  down. 

"  The  laws  of  the  Assembly,"  she  said  scorn- 
fully to  herself,  but  she  dared  voice  no  contempt 
for  such  here. 

"  What  would  my  Lord  of  Baltimore  say  to 
such?"  asked  Rogers,  from  his  seat. 

"  My  Lord  of  Baltimore,  Captain  Rogers,"  she 
said,  quietly  turning  to  the  speaker,  —  it  was  not 
the  first  time  she  had  heard  his  voice  in  combat, 
—  "my  Lord  of  Baltimore  is  a  lover  of  justice; 
think  you  he  would  grant  manorial  privileges  to 
one  to  whom  he  was  unwilling  to  give  a  voice 
in  the  Assembly  likewise  ?  " 

"  To  what  woman,"  called  the  same  raucous 
voice,  "  hath  he  granted  that  privilege  save  his 
kinswoman?" 


324  MISTRESS   BRENT 

Mistress  Brent  turned  upon  her  brother-in-law 
one  flash  of  her  great,  dark  eyes;  she  would 
husband  her  anger  and  not  show  it  now. 

"  How  many  women,"  she  asked  steadily,  "  are 
within  the  provinces  tending  their  own  affairs 
peaceably  and  sturdily  and  might  serve  as  en- 
sample  for  many?" 

There  was  a  note  of  keen  delighted  joy  in  Cap- 
tain Rogers's  voice  as  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
fair  shouted,  "  Aye,  but  amongst  the  first  laws 
made  in  this  Assembly  was  the  one  that  no 
woman  should  hold  property  in  this  colony,  and 
should  she  inherit  it,  and  at  the  end  of  seven 
years  be  still  obstinately  unmarried,  that  property 
would  be  confiscate.  Why  hath  that  law  been 
neglected  because  the  governor  —  " 

"  Shame  !  shame  !  "  came  the  cry  from  many 
quarters. 

The  flush  died  from  Mistress  Brent's  cheek, 
though  her  voice  was  clear  enough.  "  Such  law 
touches  me  not,"  she  declared  proudly;  "I  hold 
special  privileges  from  my  cousin  of  Baltimore, 
and  I  thank  God,"  she  went  on,  her  voice  rising 
somewhat,  "  that  the  papers  conveying  such 
intelligence  to  the  governor  were  not  amongst 
those  destroyed  in  the  fire  of  St.  John's  Manor, 
but  are  e'en  now  in  my  own  possession.  Con- 
cerning the  last,"  she  drew  the  bit  of  lace  she 


MISTRESS   BRENT  325 

held  crumpled  in  her  hand  across  her  mouth 
that  trembled  slightly,  "  obstinately  unmarried,  I 
need  not  speak." 

Giles  looked  about  him  quickly  once  more. 
There  were  few  faces  in  the  room  but  showed 
some  feeling,  but  feeling  was  not  conviction. 

Mistress  Margaret  went  on  rapidly: 

"  Gentlemen,  well  may  ye  ask  why  in  all  the 
years  I  have  been  amongst  ye  I  never  thought 
on  such  step.  I  thought  not  on  it.  I  have  been 
content  to  go  my  way.  One,  I  knew,  was  at  the 
head  whose  wisdom  would  remember  each  one 
of  us.  I  had  ventured  amongst  ye,  and  no  man  in 
the  colony  ventured  more,  for  I  staked  all  I  had, 
and  whether  I  have  succeeded  or  lost  I  leave  ye 
to  judge.  Then  by  one  great  loss  the  questions 
of  your  government  were  forced  upon  me.  How 
have  I  met  them?  Is  there  a  man  amongst  ye, 
God  knows  I  say  it  not  boastingly,  could  have 
done  aught  more?  Did  I  not  find  the  prov- 
ince shaken?  Had  not  my  Lord  Baltimore's 
authority  been  disregarded  and  the  laws  ye  your- 
selves made  set  aside  for  nigh  two  years?  Who 
amongst  ye  favored  the  invader  'tis  not  for  me 
to  say. 

"  Did  I  not  find  chaos,  rents  unpaid,  accounts 
unkept,  invasion  of  savages  threatened,  and  menac- 
ing soldiers  within  the  town?  Ye  have  seen  my 


326  MISTRESS   BRENT 

accounts,  how  stand  they?  What  did  ye  say  in 
the  letters  ye  writ  my  Lord  Baltimore  yesterday  ? 
Did  ye  not  say  in  such  words,  no  man  of  all 
would  so  have  wrought  it?  And  yet,  because 
I  am  a  woman,  forsooth,  to-day  I  must  stand 
idly  by  and  have  not  e'en  a  voice  in  the  framing 
of  your  laws,  a  voice  in  the  making  of  those 
regulations  which  shall  govern  one  who  is 
amongst  the  largest  of  your  landowners. 

"Is  this  justice?  I  ask  in  the  name  of  years 
yet  to  come.  Ye  have  prided  yourselves  on 
being  the  only  colony  within  the  New  World 
which  grants  to  every  man  the  right  of  worship- 
ping his  God  as  he  wisheth;  ye  boast  of  your 
liberty  and  freedom  and  are  proud  that  ye  lead 
the  way  in  the  right,  lead  it  in  this  likewise, 
build  wisely,  grant  us  justice,  and  let  the  woman 
who  hath  equal  risks  with  ye  in  this  new  prov- 
ince have  an  equal  voice  in  the  government,  else 
is  your  boast  as  empty  wind." 

She  made  impressive  pause,  and  Gerard,  who 
fain  would  have  seen  her  success,  moved  in 
the  next  breath  that  the  Assembly  should  vote 
on  this  question  which  Mistress  Brent  had 
raised. 

Yet  when  the  question  had  been  put  to  such 
test  she  stood  defeated.  Giles  and  Gerard  moved 
toward  her,  but  she  put  aside  all  sympathy  and 


MISTRESS   BRENT  327 

drew  herself  proudly  erect.  "  Then,"  she  cried 
in  clear,  ringing  tones,  "  I  do  hereby  protest 
against  all  this  present  Assembly  and  all  its 
doings,  unless  I  may  be  present  and  have  voice 
as  aforesaid." 


XXI 

MISTRESS  HAWLEY  waited  her  im- 
patiently. "  Margaret,"  she  began 
quickly,  "what  wild  whim  moved 
thee  to  be  abroad?  Why  shouldst  thou  go 
a-visiting?  " 

"Visiting,"  cried  Mistress  Brent,  with  a  laugh 
that  was  short  and  bitter,  as  she  went  past  her  in 
the  living-room.  There  stood  her  chair  before 
the  fire  where  Katharine  had  pushed  it  when  the 
morning  meal  was  done.  She  sank  into  it  now. 

"  Thy  skirt  is  wet  with  snow,  and  thy  cloak,  thy 
shoes  !  Lucy,  take  Mistress  Margaret's  wet  things 
from  her.  Margaret,  go  upstairs  and  change  thy 
dress.  I  will  make  thee  a  hot  posset." 

"  Aye,"  said  Margaret,  bitterly,  "  dry  clothes 
and  a  hot  posset ;  't  is  all  a  woman 's  fit  for,  so 
a  man  thinks." 

"  Now,  pray  God,  what  madness  is  this?  "  She 
caught  Margaret's  hand;  it  was  cold  as  the 
snow  outside,  though  her  cheek  was  flaming. 
"  Margaret !  " 

"  Katharine,  make  not  a  pother !  " 


MISTRESS   BRENT  329 

"Thou  hast  ill  news!  Surely  none  are  come 
hither  from  Jamestown  with  tidings  from  Eng- 
land." 

"Cannot  ill  news  come  save  from  England? 
Methinks  Maryland  reeks  with  such." 

Mistress  Hawley  could  make  naught  of  the 
matter,  but  like  a  wise  friend  bided  her  time. 
She  hurried  Lucy  to  her  mistress  and  bent,  her- 
self, above  the  kitchen  fire  mulling  a  measure 
from  her  small  store  of  Madeira,  adding  sweets 
and  spices  until  it  was  ready  for  the  drinking ;  then 
when  it  was  smoking  hot,  and  sending  sweet  odors 
through  all  the  house,  bore  it  up  the  stair  to 
Margaret.  She  had  hoped  to  find  her  cuddled 
upon  the  soft  bed,  warm  covers  heaped  upon  her, 
but  she  stood  white  and  erect  before  the  bright- 
ened fire  where  Lucy  had  undone  the  bedraggled 
paduasoy  and  taken  it  off  her  benumbed  mistress. 
She  turned  and  took  the  bowl  eagerly;  it  had 
already  cooled  enough  for  drinking,  and  she  drank 
it  to  the  last  drop,  and  the  color  came  flickering 
back  to  her  round  cheek  that  had  gone  white  after 
the  first  few  moments  within  the  house. 

"  Thou  hast  a  rare  taste,"  she  declared,  lightly ; 
"for  one  so  abstemious;  thou  shouldst  try  thine 
own  cure  some  day." 

Mistress  Hawley  shook  her  head,  "  Is  there 
aught  else?"  she  queried. 


330  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"  Now,  faith,  Katharine,  thou  seest  I  have  got  a 
hurt  and  would  fain  cosset  me ;  't  is  beyond  thy 
healing,  sweet.  'T  is  not  of  the  body,  methinks," 
she  added,  mockingly;  "  'tis  neither  of  the  heart." 

Lucy  finished  her  mistress's  toilet  and  gathered 
up  her  bedraggled  clothes.  "  Take  them  to  the 
kitchen,"  she  commanded,  "  and  dry  them  there." 

"  Thy  boots  had  best  be  softened  with  greas- 
ing," added  the  careful  hostess,  "  else  thou  'It  never 
be  able  to  wear  them  again." 

"Aye,"  said  Margaret,  absently.  There  was  a 
warm  fire  on  the  hearth,  and  she  held  her  wide 
skirts  daintily  as  she  put  out  her  foot  to  the  heat. 
"Aye,  Katharine,  I  had  best  tell  thee;  'twill  be 
town  talk  ere  the  morrow."  She  stopped,  then 
blurted  out  hastily,  "  I  did  go  to  the  Assembly  this 
morn  and  claim  a  voice  in  the  house.  '  Look  not  so 
astounded.  What  have  I  done  for  well  nigh  a 
year?" 

"  And  they  —  " 

Mistress  Margaret  shrugged  her  shoulders. 
"  They  would  have  none  of  me ;  no  woman's 
voice  must  be  heard  in  their  Assemblies." 

"  But  what  wouldst  thou  ?  " 

"  Katharine,  tell  me,  prithee,  who  is  better  fitted 
to  make  the  laws  of  this  colony,  Jock  or  I  ?  " 

Mistress  Hawley  was  at  a  disadvantage  and 
knew  not  what  to  say. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  331 

"  For  myself,"  she  said,  slowly,  "  I  wish  no  such 
power.  I  have  work  enow;  'tis  much  to  tend 
the  servants." 

"  Aye,  and  trim  thy  ways  so  as  to  meet  all 
winds,  blow  they  fair  or  foul." 

"So  do  we  all." 

"  So  do  we  all ;  and  why?  An  that  iniquitous  law 
which  Captain  Rogers  did  quote  in  the  meeting, 
that  no  woman  should  hold  property  in  the  prov- 
ince longer  than  seven  years,  were  carried  out, 
ye  'd  be  not  so  placid !  " 

"  Seven  years  !  " 

"  Now  I  touch  thee !  Thinkest  thou  such  law 
should  be  made  an  women  had  a  right  in  making 
them.  Katharine,  'fore  God,  look  not  so ;  why, 
no  man  thinks  on  it  now;  'tis  madness,  such 
folly.  I  dared  them  to  their  faces."  She  did  not 
tell  her  how  or  in  the  name  of  what  authority  she 
so  dared.  "  It  grows  cold  here !  "  Margaret  was 
frightened  at  the  thoughtlessness  of  her  speech. 
"  The  living-room  is  far  better,  and,  faith,"  as  she 
went  down  the  stair,  "  the  odors  of  the  kitchen 
are  most  inviting.  Now,  I  bethink  me,  I  ate  but 
little  breakfast." 

The  hint,  as  she  intended,  roused  Mistress 
Hawley. 

"  Truth,  't  is  fair  eleven ;  thou  shalt  have  thy 
dinner  at  once." 


33*  MISTRESS   BRENT 

Mistress  Hawley  was  too  busied  all  the  day 
for  idle  dwelling  on  Mistress  Margaret's  speech. 
"  Pray  God  it  was  as  she  said,"  she  thought,  "  and 
no  man  dare  take  her  own  from  her,"  and  she  put 
the  thought  resolutely  away. 

The  winter  day  seemed  but  a  few  hours  long; 
a  gleam  of  sunlight  at  noon,  thickening  clouds, 
and  then,  slowly  at  first,  but  ever  thicker  and 
faster,  snowflakes  that  filled  the  air  and  wrapped 
the  room  in  gray,  sombre  dusk  save  for  the 
firelight. 

"Art  not  tired,  Katharine?"  asked  Mistress 
Margaret  as  she  walked  restlessly  to  the  kitchen 
door.  The  men  and  maids  were  already  housed, 
and  Jock,  sitting  in  a  corner  of  the  rude  settle  by 
the  fire,  looked  up  hastily,  as  she  spoke,  at  Mis- 
tress Hawley.  Mistress  Brent  caught  his  glance ; 
it  was  so  full  of  some  hidden  feeling  —  was  it,  could 
it  be  pity?  —  that  she  stood  sternly  gazing  at  him. 
Jock  shifted  uneasily.  He  remembered  the  scene 
within  the  Assembly-room,  and  Mistress  Brent  did 
too.  "  To  allow  a  privilege  to  my  overseer  which 
was  forbidden  me,"  she  said,  as  she  turned  quickly 
away ;  but  ere  she  had  crossed  the  room  there  was 
a  loud  knocking  at  the  outer  door. 

Mistress  Brent  turned  and  made  a  sign  to  Lucy, 
who  went  to  open  it.  In  a  moment  Giles  was  with 
her. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  333 

"  Ah,  Giles !  "  cried  his  sister,  as  she  slipped  her 
hand  within  his  arm,  "  methought  thou  wouldst 
come  to  me.  How  wet  ye  are !  Give  Lucy  thy 
cloak." 

She  helped  him  unfasten  it,  and  it  was  not 
often  she  bent  herself  to  such  tasks;  but  her 
brother  took  it  quietly  enough,  there  was  that  in 
his  mood  and  thought  which  rendered  him  for- 
getful of  trifles. 

"Thou  didst  come  to  me  at  once?"  said  his 
sister,  half  questioning. 

"  I  tarried  but  a  space  at  the  coffee-house.  Hath 
ajiy  been  present,  any  of  the  town?  " 

"  None  save  the  servants,  and  Jock,"  she  em- 
phasized the  last  of  her  sentence  bitterly,  "  newly 
returned  from  the  Assembly  meeting." 

"  Where  is  he?  "  questioned  Giles,  quickly. 

"  Within  the  kitchen." 

"  Hath  he  had  speech  of  Mistress  Hawley?" 

"  How  should  I  know?  Yet  why  not,  she  hath 
been  busied  in  the  kitchen  dipping  candles." 

"  Margaret,  she  —  hath  seen  her  since  —  " 

"  Since,  pray  God  —  " 

"Hath  spoken  to  her  within  the  half  hour? 
How  looks  she?  " 

"  But  as  she  ever  does.  I  will  call  her  and  let 
thee  see  for  thyself,"  she  began,  mischievously. 

"  Not  now,  I  pray  thee." 


334  MISTRESS   BRENT 

"  Giles,  is  there  any  new  note  of  trouble  thou 
art  about  to  sound?" 

"There  was  a  stormy  scene  in  the  Assembly- 
room,"  began  her  brother. 

"  Methinks  I  witnessed  it,"  broke  in  his  sister, 
ironically. 

"  Thou  didst  fling  a  torch  amongst  us." 
"  Pray  God  it  may  set  ye  afire  with  some  sense." 
"  It  kindled  a  conflagration  ye  little  thought  of." 
"  An  it  inflamed  ye,  ye  needed  it,  forsooth." 
"  But  not  as  thou  wouldst  have  it,  not —  " 
"  Now,  cease  thy  riddles ;  thinkest  thou  I  am  set 
on  puzzling  matches?  " 
"  Captain  Rogers  —  " 

"  Aye,  my  brother-in-law,  I  'd  like  to  have 
struck  him  through  and  through ;  a  pretty  gift 
of  oratory  he  hath  developed;  since  when  did 
he  come  by  it?  " 

"Twas  fatal  enow  spite  o'  thy  words!  When 
thou  wast  gone  "  —  Mistress  Margaret  watched  him 
eagerly  — "  when  thou  wast  gone  this  woman's 
question  needs  must  be  further  aired.  Captain 
Rogers  waxed  eloquent  beyond  thy  guessing. 
'Into  what  length  the  women  of  the  colony  had 
come,'  he  declared ;  '  here  was  one  had  arrogated 
the  supreme  authority,  and  to  what  had  she 
brought  them,  what  scathing  words  were  those 
of  the  Proprietor '  —  " 


MISTRESS   BRENT  335 

"  He  had  naught  to  say  of  that  before." 

"  Aye,  he  declared  he  had  held  his  peace ;  the 
thing  was  done,  the  matter  closed,  he  had  said  to 
himself,  but  now  time  had  come  for  the  expressing 
of  his  thoughts." 

Giles  twisted  his  mouth  into  a  sarcastic  smile 
such  as  often  sat  on  Mistress  Brent's  red  lips  when 
she  was  angered. 

"  I  spare  thee  the  rest,  Madge,  but  his  speech 
was  violent  enough  and  fierce  enough  to  arouse 
the  rougher  humors  of  us.  God  knows  they  be 
too  many,  we  lack  a  gentle  strain.  But  the  up- 
shot of  it  all  is,  they  have  set  their  faces  firmly 
against  all  power  in  women's  hands,  e'en  to  the 
holding  of  property.  They  can  do  naught  against 
thee,  Madge,  they  acknowledged  such,  but,"  his 
voice  sank,  " there  are  others"  and  the  brother  and 
sister  gazed  at  each  other  in  stricken  silence. 

"  What,"  came  a  cheerful  voice  from  the  door 
of  the  living-room,  "  ye  linger  in  the  dusk !  ye 
look  as  if  plotting  treason  !  " 

"  She  knows  naught,"  whispered  Giles,  quickly, 
"  I  would  fain  have  the  telling;  there  is  more." 

Mistress  Hawley  came  briskly  across  the  floor. 
"  The  lazy  varlets,"  she  declared  impatiently  as  she 
took  the  charred  stumps  of  the  pine  torches  from 
the  holes  in  the  mantel-shelf  and  stuck  fresh  ones 
there  and  stooped  to  light  a  splinter  of  pine  to 


336  MISTRESS   BRENT 

fire  them  with.  Giles  saw  the  clear,  sweet  face 
shine  in  the  firelight,  the  red  curve  of  the  lips 
running  upward  as  though  she  thought  on  happy 
things.  Such  a  passion  of  longing  shone  in  his 
face  that  Margaret  grew  sick  at  heart;  such  heart 
hunger  had  she  seen  in  another  face,  but  the  eyes 
in  which  it  shone  had  sought  her  own.  She 
turned  quickly  away  and  made  a  gesture  to  Giles, 
a  gesture  of  sympathy  and  understanding,  as  she 
went  out  of  the  room. 

Mistress  Hawley  turned  to  light  the  candles  on 
the  table.  "  With  such  a  storm  without  we  must 
make  comfort  within,"  she  said,  cheerily. 

"  Stay,"  said  Giles,  hoarsely,  as  she  went  about 
the  room.  A  shiver  of  fright  ran  through  Mis- 
tress Hawley's  tall  figure ;  twice  that  day  had  they 
come  to  her,  her  friends,  with  ill  tidings  writ 
on  their  faces.  What,  now,  was  this? 

"  Margaret  said  thou  wast  wearied,"  said  Giles 
presently,  in  firmer  tone;  "sit  thee  down."  He 
pushed  a  great  chair  before  the  fire  blazing  on 
the  hearth.  So  seldom  she  allowed  the  slightest 
waiting  upon  her  that  it  pleased  him,  even  with 
this  feeling  of  suffocation  upon  him,  to  push  the 
chair  on  to  the  great  rug  of  bearskin  where  her 
feet  would  rest  warm  on  the  soft  fur  and  the  blaze 
of  fire  and  torch  would  shine  upon  her.  How  the 
coils  of  her  hair  glistened !  How  fair  her  white 


MISTRESS   BRENT  337 

hands  shone  against  her  dark  gown,  though  he 
knew  their  palms  were  roughened  with  work ! 

"Hast  come  to  confess  thy  misdemeanors?" 
she  asked,  carelessly;  "  thou  lookest  most  serious." 

Giles  smiled  spite  of  his  anxious  thought. 

"Were  I  to  confess,"  he  began,  ardently. 

"Ah!  Father  White  tarries  so  long  amidst  the 
Indians  thou  hast  forgot,"  she  began,  quickly. 

"  One  forgets  when  there  is  naught  to  confess," 
said  Giles  coldly,  angered  that  his  speech  had 
been  parried  in  such  a  fashion. 

Mistress  Hawley  moved  uneasily  in  her  com- 
fortable seat.  Was  it  a  sigh  parted  her  red  lips? 
"  True,"  she  said,  and  spite  of  all  the  words  press- 
ing upon  him  Giles  was  silent.  The  wind  went 
whistling  about  the  house  and  moaning  in  the 
chimney's  mouth,  and  they  could  hear  the  dash 
of  driving  snow  against  door  and  window  and  the 
rattle  of  the  stiffened  rose-bush  and  the  moaning 
in  the  tree-tops. 

Giles  began  again  quite  at  the  other  end  of  the 
tale  he  had  to  tell. 

"  Did  Margaret  tell  thee  aught  of  this  morning? 
Aye,  well  she  might,  'tis  spread  through  all  the 
province  ere  now." 

"  Nay,  St.  Mary's  —  " 

"  Then  thou  dost  not  know  a  little  bird  of  the 
air  carries  our  news  for  us;  faith,  it  must  be  the 

22 


338  MISTRESS   BRENT 

sea-gull,  its  wings  are  so  swift  and  strong."  He 
stopped  his  chaffing  instantly.  Mistress  Hawley 
was  leaning  back  and  listening  to  him  with  eyes 
wide-opened  and  amused. 

"  There  was  a  stormy  scene  when  she  had  left 
us,"  he  went  on  hurriedly ;  "  they  would  have  no 
woman's  authority.  Mistress  Brent  had  ques- 
tioned them  proudly  as  to  those  who  should  frame 
the  laws  of  the  province;  should  it  not  be  done 
by  those  who  owned  the  land?"  He  paused  and 
went  on  low,  "  There  is  an  old  law,  nay,  not  so 
old,  but  never  yet  enforced  — " 

"  That  no  woman  should  hold  property  within 
the  colony  longer  than  seven  years,"  cried  Mis- 
tress Hawley. 

Giles  nodded.  "  Aye,  I  was  not  present  at  the 
making  of  it,  thank  God." 

"  And  now?  " 

"Now  they  would  force  it.  There  can  no 
woman  again  demand  the  right  my  sister  did  or 
taunt  them  with  such  language,  so  my  brother, 
Captain  Rogers,  hath  put  it.  The  laws  will  be 
made  by  those  holding  the  lands,  and  the  lands 
will  be  held  by  the  men. 

"  A  cutting  of  the  Gordian  knot  as  wise  as 
Alexander's,"  he  added ;  and  though  Captain  Brent 
spoke  bitterly,  his  speech  was  not  half  so  shamed 
and  angered  as  he  felt.  He  dared  not  look  at  the 


MISTRESS   BRENT  339 

woman  upon  whom  the  blow  had  just  fallen ;  he 
would  grant  her  a  moment's  grace,  though  there 
was  much  he  purposed  to  say,  and  say  at  once. 

"  And  I,"  said  Mistress  Hawley,  her  voice 
a-tremble  with  emotion ;  "  and  I,  —  is  it  possible  ? 
Can  a  man  do  aught  so  unjust?  Then  was  Mar- 
garet right.  To  defraud  me,  —  it  is  robbery !  All 
I  have  about  me  —  how  hard  I  have  wrought !  — 
when  I  was  urged  to  go  back  overseas  to  bide 
with  my  husband's  people,"  — 

"  Think  not  of  it,"  broke  in  Giles,  sternly. 

"  Never !  not  there ;  I  know  not  if  there  be  a 
household  there  prepared  to  receive  me.  'Tis  as 
Margaret  said,"  she  cried,  her  voice  ringing  with 
scorn ;  "  ye  have  forced  this  rank  injustice  upon 
us." 

"Not  I,  nor  many  more  of  us,  but  the  larger 
number  of  votes  will  have  it  so." 

"  Then  should  we  have  a  voice,  as  she  hath  said ! 
How  many  a  man  will  go  to  his  wife  this  night 
and  tell  this  tale,  while  she  sits  uncaring;  it 
moves  her  not." 

Giles's  face  flushed  hotly  as  she  thus  put  it. 
"  There,"  said  he,  slowly,  "  is  the  touchstone  of 
the  difficulty.  Madge  stands  absolved,  but  thou, 
why  shouldst  —  " 

"  To  strip  me  of  all  my  years  of  labor,"  went 
on  Mistress  Hawley,  not  seeing  the  drift  of  Cap- 


340  MISTRESS   BRENT 

tain  Brent's  speech ;   and  Giles,  seeing  how  bitter 
seemed  her  burden,  spoke  boldly. 

"  There  is  a  way  of  avoidance.  The  law  runs, 
'  Lest  a  woman  be  married  ere  the  seven  years  be 
passed.'  Art  thou  so  cold-hearted  thou  never 
hast  thought  on  such?  Thinkest  thou  that  thou 
art  ever  to  go  through  life  alone?  Hear  me  now; 
I  have  been  silent  —  silent,  God  knows  how  long. 
I  knew  myself  what  I  was  in  thy  eyes  when  first 
we  met,  a  youthful  popinjay  whose  heart  was 
fixed  on  lace  and  velvets.  I  swore  the  years 
should  teach  thee  something  else;  I  feared  no 
rival."  Mistress  Hawley  flushed  hotly.  "Thou 
wast  ever  cold  enow  to  every  man."  She  sighed 
with  a  breath  of  relief.  "  I  have  watched  thee 
through  how  many  years  dost  thou  reckon? 
Seven  years  did  one  of  old  serve  for  the  maid  he 
loved,  and  seven  again.  Nigh  to  that  score  have 
I  come.  I  have  seen  thee  a  slim  girl  bowed  with 
sorrow,  yet  not  crushed.  Thy  widowhood  was 
fresh  those  first  days  of  our  stay,  and  thou  didst 
deem  me  naught  save  a  lad  and  a  fop.  Think 
not  I  did  not  see  the  gleam  of  laughter  sometime 
in  thy  eye  as  it  rested  upon  me,  yet,  methinks," 
he  added  gravely,  "  I  have  disproved  that  last  oft 
and  again,  and  that  first  —  one  ages  early  here," 
he  passed  his  hands  through  his  thick  long 
locks,  "the  gray  is  already  here. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  341 

"  Katharine,"  he  besought,  "  marry  me  and  cut 
this  coil." 

"  And  so  make  use  of  thy  love  to  help  me  out 
of  my  difficulties?" 

"  As  thou  wilt,  but  make  use  of  it.  Is  there  no 
moving  thee?  Is  thy  heart  indeed  of  ice?  I'd 
swear  't  were  not !  Give  me  but  leave  to  teach 
thee !  " 

He  leaned  close  and  unfastened  her  clasped 
hands.  The  color  came  and  went  in  Mistress 
Hawley's  face,  the  red  lips  trembled,  and  Captain 
Brent  seeing  it,  took  heart  of  grace. 

"  See !  "  he  knelt  close  beside  her,  "  but  place 
them  here,  sweetheart."  He  put  her  arms  about 
his  neck.  "  An  thou  wilt  not  speak  to  me ;  speak  I" 
he  crushed  the  folds  of  her  gown  against  his  hot 
face  in  an  agony  of  fear  lest  now,  at  last,  he  had 
lost.  But  there  was  a  soft  touch  on  his  head,  a 
voice  low  and  hesitating. 

"  Captain  Brent," — hetrembled  like  a  woman  and 
yet  was  silent,  —  "a  man  oft  tells  a  woman,"  she 
went  on  brokenly  and  hesitatingly,  "  how  many  a 
maid  he  hath  loved  ere  the  perfect  blossom  of  his 
love  be  come,  but  the  woman,  nay,  she  must 
love  but  one. 

"  I  have  been  once  wedded,"  and  the  man  at 
her  feet  felt  his  heart  would  cease  its  beating  did 
she  not  hurry  her  words ;  but  he  had  had  his  say, 


342  MISTRESS   BRENT 

please  God  she  should  do  likewise,  and  whatever 
it  was  he  would  bide  by  it ;  and  in  the  silence  he 
was  aware  of  the  howling  wind  and  beating  storm. 
"  I  have  been  once  wedded,"  she  went  on,  firmly, 
"  and  was  true  wife.  Again  there  was  one  —  be 
still  and  listen  —  that  had  he  loved  me  and  not 
thy  sister  —  look  not  so  incredulous.  I  put  it  from 
me  from  the  day  of  his  death.  I  scarce  knew, 
myself,  before,  I  but  faced  it  to  fight  it  and  con- 
quer it.  'T  is  dead,  a  thing  of  yesterday,  forever." 

But  Giles  had  risen  to  his  feet. 

"So  'twas  this,"  he  began,  coldly;  "and  I 
thought  there  was  none,  and  spent  my  heart  in 
loving  thee.  Fool !  not  to  know  a  woman's  heart 
was  not  forever  cold,  and  if  'twas  cold  to  me  'twas 
warm  to  some  other." 

"Did  I  not  tell  thee  —  " 

"  Enough,  thou  didst  tell  me  enough.  I  will 
not  force  myself  upon  thee  again.  I  will  seek 
Margaret."  He  strode  across  the  room.  "  My 
God !  "  he  cried,  ere  he  had  reached  the  door,  "I 
had  forgot."  He  turned;  there  huddled  in  her 
chair  was  Katharine,  and  surely  no  tears  could 
ever  bedim  her  clear  and  steadfast  eyes! 

"  Katharine,"  he  cried,  going  back  to  her,  "  tell 
me  —  " 

"Tell  thee  what?  Did  I  not  bare  my  soul 
before  thee  to  be  scorned?" 


MISTRESS   BRENT  343 

"  Scorned !  " 

"Aye,"  she  blazed  upon  him  passionately;  "I 
would  not  tell  thee;  first  thou  must  know  —  " 

"  Would  not  tell  me  —  speak  truth  or  never  again 
'fore  God !  " 

But  Mistress  Hawley  was  obstinately  silent, 
though  cheeks  were  flaming  and  red  lips  a-tremble 
and  lashes  wet  with  tears. 

"  When  that  love  was  buried,  as  thou  didst 
declare,  didst  think  o'  me  then?"  He  lifted  her 
downcast  face.  "  'Fore  God  thou  lovest  me,  me, 
Katharine,  else — "  His  keen  gaze  searched  her 
face,  every  blush,  every  curve  of  it;  he  crushed 
her  close  to  him  as  he  heard  her  ask,  "  Hadst 
thou  never  a  thought  of  others  that  thou  shouldst 
have  been  so  angered?" 

"  Of  none,  sweetheart ;  't  is  not  always  needful 
that  many  loves  should  bloom,  as  thou  hast  put 
it ;  nay,  look  not  so  !  I  am  content ;  "  and  in  the 
silence  of  their  delight  there  was  no  heed  of  moan- 
ing winds  or  rattling  casements  or  shaking  doors, 
or  of  that  one  which  opened  and  shut  again,  as 
Mistress  Margaret,  tired  of  her  own  gloomy 
thoughts,  sought  them,  but  went  quickly  away 
again. 

She  was  glad,  glad  at  heart,  she  told  herself. 
Katharine's  questions  were  answered ;  but  for  her, 
cares  and  duties  had  been  thrust  upon  her,  she 


344  MISTRESS   BRENT 

must  be  up  and  doing  while  her  sorrow  was  yet 
fresh ;  and  then  with  the  taste  of  power,  ambi- 
tion had  flowered  strong  within  her  and  she  had 
gone  her  way,  proud  and  sufficient.  Now  these 
scathing  letters  of  the  Proprietor  and  the  Assem- 
bly's decision  had  swept  action  from  her.  She 
must  clasp  hands  with  sorrow  and  grow  acquainted 
with  grief. 


XXII 

FROM  that  bitter  January  day  Mistress 
Brent  turned  to  her  own  affairs ;  those  of 
the  province  might  go  as  they  would,  and 
they  came  well  nigh  to  destruction.  Claiborne 
came  again,  and  with  full  authority  from  Cromwell, 
Lord  Protector  of  England,  and  he  in  time  gave 
peaceable  way  to  the  new  governor  my  Lord  Pro- 
prietor appointed,  when  with  his  silvery  tongue 
he  had  persuaded  Cromwell  to  grant  him  his  own 
again. 

She  saw  the  Protestant  tide  of  emigration  from 
Virginia  set  in  far  up  the  bay  upon  the  Severn 
and  the  flock  of  refugees  from  England,  and 
through  it  all  she  held  her  way.  St.  Anne's  was 
ever  one  of  the  most  flourishing  manors  in  the 
colony. 

The  line  of  the  forest  land  grew  farther  and 
farther  inland,  in  the  fastnesses  of  the  woodlands 
even  were  clearings  of  those  who  held  the  acres 
as  her  tenants ;  she  held  claims  upon  the  Potomac 
and  the  Patuxent;  the  love  of  it  all,  of  shadowy 
oaks  and  rippling  river,  of  wide  rich  fields,  of 


346  MISTRESS   BRENT 

solemn  forests  of  which  she  was  no  longer  afraid, 
the  love  of  life  and  living  grew  strong  with  the 
years  that  fed  it. 

Once  a  year  she  gathered  her  tenants  about 
her.  Many  and  widely  scattered  as  they  were, 
there  were  vexed  questions  that  must  be  settled, 
—  questions  the  laws  of  the  province  left  in  her 
hands. 

The  land  was  still  lawless  enough  for  might  to 
be  near  right ;  Indians  were  yet  abroad,  and  were 
often  thievish  and  mischievous;  the  lord  of  the 
manor  must  rule  well.  He  must  look  to  his 
leases  and  rents ;  must  see  that  none  on  his  manor 
"  held  double  measure  to  buy  by  the  great  and 
sell  by  the  less ;  "  must  see  there  were  no  vagrants 
on  his  land  who  "  would  sleep  by  day  and  watch 
by  night  and  fare  well  and  do  nothing ;  "  must  fix 
the  price  of  bread  and  ale;  try  those  who  sold 
corrupt  meat  or  entertained  vagrants;  fine  ten- 
ants for  allowing  their  cattle  to  destroy  maize 
fields,  for  any  crimes  of  stealth,  or,  should  they 
wish  to  push  the  forestry  laws,  even  for  hunting 
in  their  woodlands. 

Mistress  Brent  was  wont  to  make  of  her  courts- 
leet  —  for  so  it  was  called  in  the  parlance  of  the 
time  —  a  day  not  only  for  settling  troublous  ques- 
tions, but  afterwards  for  games  and  feasts  for  her 
servants  and  gathering  together  of  her  neighbors. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  347 

She  and  Jock  and  Sarah  were  well  nigh  wearied 
out  on  the  afternoon  of  an  October  day  making 
ready.  There  under  the  oaks  was  the  platform 
on  which  she  would  sit  on  the  morrow,  first  for  the 
court  and  afterward  for  the  watching  of  the  games 
with  her  neighbors  about  her;  beyond  the  house 
the  boards  were  already  laid  on  trestles  for  the 
feast.  Sarah  knew  how  many  loaves  of  bread, 
fine  and  white,  how  many  cakes  of  maize,  how 
many  hams  and  capons  and  wild  turkeys  and 
haunches  of  venison  had  been  made  ready  in  her 
kitchen  for  it. 

The  short  autumn  day  was  hazy  near  its  close 
and  the  air  was  filled  with  smell  of  smoke ;  many 
of  the  farmers  would  be  thrifty  and  burn  their 
fields  before  the  spring.  Mistress  Brent,  going 
from  place  to  place  to  see  that  all  was  well  done, 
loitered  at  length  along  the  gravelled  pathway  to 
the  edge  of  the  bluff  and  paused,  looking  long  at 
the  misty  river.  The  waters  were  still  and  deeply 
blue;  autumn  haze  and  smoke  veiled  sky  and  dis- 
tant shore ;  here  and  there  a  licking  flame  broke 
through  and  flared  wildly;  far,  far  out,  faint  as 
a  mark  drawn  straight  against  the  sky,  loomed 
the  great  mast  of  a  ship,  but  whether  the  vessel 
were  large  or  small,  of  bay  craft  or  foreign  ship- 
ping, she  could  read  no  sign.  In  the  shifting, 
veiling  mists  all  was  uncertain,  and  Mistress  Mar- 


348  MISTRESS    BRENT 

garet  turned  away,  trusting  the  morrow  would  be 
fair. 

A  red  sunset  means  not  always  a  lowering  day. 
The  October  dawn  was  as  clear  as  though  mists 
and  rains  and  clouds  had  never  veiled  the  river, 
and  Mistress  Brent  looking  from  her  window  soon 
as  her  breakfast  board  was  cleared,  on  dew-wet 
grass  and  waving  trees  and  sparkling  waterway, 
saw  the  glimmer  of  many  a  sail  that  sought  her 
wharf.  Far  out  on  the  waves  loomed  a  great 
ship,  its  sails  full  set,  the  light  morning  winds 
and  ebb  tide  moving  her  but  slowly. 

Mistress  Margaret  gave  her  many  an  anxious 
glance,  and  then,  her  duties  pressing  thick  upon 
her,  forgot;  but  though  she  went  her  way  care- 
lessly, there  was  one  there  on  those  decks  would 
put  all  her  hard-won  content  to  test;  one  who 
eagerly  scanned  the  strange  shores  and  headlands 
as  the  captain  stood  by  him  talking  of  the  new 
land,  and  whose  heart  beat  hotly  for  a  soldier 
whose  hair  was  silvered,  when  the  small  boat  of 
the  ship  put  him,  his  mails  and  servant,  ashore 
at  St.  Anne's. 

With  what  eagerness  did  he  look  about  him! 
He  had  thought  to  gaze  on  savage  lands ;  here 
was  a  wide,  white  beach,  there  where  the  terrace 
dipped  was  grass  green  as  English  turf,  here  it 
held  a  rippling  lake,  there  were  towering  oaks. 


MISTRESS   BRENT  349 

Many  boats  were  at  the  wharf,  —  canoe,  dugout, 
and  pinnace.  He  went  up  the  stairway  unheeded ; 
there  to  the  left  was  such  a  crowd  as  he  might 
have  seen  on  any  village  green,  and  under  the 
shadowing  trees  was  a  glint  of  bright  garments 
and  moving,  stately  figures.  He  went  slowly 
forward  as  yet  unheeded,  until  he  stood  on  the 
edge  of  the  crowd  watching  with  jest  and  laughter 
the  clumsy  sack-race. 

The  crowd  parted,  and  there  in  the  midst  —  he 
knew  her  on  the  instant  —  was  a  slender  figure, 
and  she,  turning,  looked  at  him  long  and  strangely; 
the  laughter  died  from  her  eyes  that  shone  stern 
and  dark  as  she  came  forward  to  greet  him. 

"Master  Richard  White?"  she  commenced,  as 
if  still  uncertain  who  her  guest  might  be. 

"  Captain  White,"  he  corrected.  "  I  have  seen 
much  service  since  last  thou  didst  see  me." 

"  The  years  have  served  thee  well,"  she  said, 
with  quiet  dignity;  "none  of  us  would  rest  in 
sloth." 

"  Truth,"  said  Captain  White,  gallantly,  "  thou 
seemest  thyself  to  point  thy  adage." 

"  Aye,"  he  had  struck  the  tenderest  point  of 
Mistress  Brent's  heart,  "  thou  shouldst  see  many 
of  our  habitations  here." 

"  Naught  could  please  me  better !  " 

"Thou  wilt   tarry  'til   our  feasting   is   done?" 


350  MISTRESS   BRENT 

asked  Mistress  Brent;  but  at  that  the  humor 
of  the  man  took  fire,  his  greeting  had  been  cold 
enough,  but  this  he  would  withstand  — 

"  For  such  I  crossed  the  seas,"  he  said,  shortly ; 
and  the  words  rang  in  Mistress  Brent's  ears  until 
tenants  and  guests  were  gone  and  the  day  was 
done,  then,  spite  of  all  her  talking  on  gossip  of 
England  and  the  provinces,  Captain  White  fin- 
ished the  speech  he  had  come  to  say,  though  he 
blundered  sadly  at  the  first. 

When  he  looked  at  the  quiet,  stately  woman  by 
his  side,  he  could  not  go  back  at  one  breath  to 
a  word  of  those  summer  days  long  agone,  even 
if  the  memory  of  them  had  never  died.  It  was 
that  he  tried  to  tell  her  at  the  first,  that  he  remem- 
bered her  alway,  that  he  thought  of  her  even  with 
his  wife  at  his  side. 

Then  Mistress  Margaret  had  turned  scornfully 
upon  him.  Had  he  dared  wed  one  woman  with 
the  thought  of  another  in  his  heart? 

It  was  not  he  who  dared  ;  feeling  was  too  strong. 
Then  had  he  lied  to  one.  Where  was  his  wife  ? 

Dead  two  years  ago  !  and  then  he  plunged  into 
his  story.  A  young  man,  his  troth  already 
plighted,  had  met  with  one  he  deemed  well  nigh 
a  child ;  but  when  he  saw  the  dawning  soul  of 
womanhood  in  her  eyes,  God  only  knew  how 
he  learned  to  love  her !  So  as  he  never  dreamed, 


MISTRESS    BRENT  351 

he  had  loved  her;  there  was  no  speech  for  it, 
the  wildness  and  vastness  of  it.  And  he  had 
gone  his  way,  for  he  hoped  to  come  again  and 
speak  words  that  might  make  life  a  paradise.  He 
glanced  quickly  at  the  woman  by  his  side  and 
saw  her  flaming  cheek,  and  knew  not  it  was  the 
fire  of  shame  that  burned  there.  "  So  easily  won 
did  he  deem  me,"  she  thought,  and  the  shame  was 
all  the  deeper  when  she  knew  it  was  true,  "  he  had 
but  to  come  and  pluck  me  like  a  ripe  fruit  from 
the  wall." 

The  woman  to  whom  he  was  plighted,  and  his 
voice  hardened  a  little,  had  held  him  to  his  word. 
It  was  a  marriage  planned  of  old  by  his  father, 
and  there  were  family  reasons.  He  need  not 
dwell  on  his  life.  His  cousin,  Father  White,  had 
writ  of  her,  Mistress  Margaret,  oft;  her  memory 
had  shone  through  all  his  days;  he  needs  must 
look  upon  her  again ;  now  he  was  come. 

Whatever  words  he  said,  they  were  enough  to 
prove  his  old  eloquence  and  power  of  love-mak- 
ing were  not  abated.  Mistress  Brent  could  no 
longer  wonder  how  his  words  had  moved  her  cal- 
low girlhood ;  but  they  moved  her  not  now  as  he 
talked  of  the  English  home  to  which  he  would  take 
her;  or  should  she  strongly  wish  to  bide  in  the 
provinces,  any  life  for  him,  were  she  but  by  his 
side !  She  smiled  derisively.  For  what  would 


352  MISTRESS   BRENT 

she  barter  her  home  here?  To  whom  would  she 
give  the  reins  of  her  life,  to  be  turned  and  twisted 
by  another's  will? 

No,  please  God,  she  was  content;  content,  too, 
with  her  memories,  with  the  thought  of  one  who 
loved  her  with  a  reverence  that  put  to  shame  such 
hot  wooing,  and  with  a  faithfulness  that  belittled 
the  man  by  her  side. 

Content,  she  told  the  word  to  her  heart  again, 
as  she  watched  the  sail  out  of  sight  which  bore 
Captain  White  to  St.  Mary's.  The  evening  dark- 
ened about  her,  but  the  sunset  lights  were  red  and 
the  river  ran  in  opalescent  hues  at  her  feet  as  she 
stood  at  the  top  of  the  stairway  in  the  bluff. 
Above  her  rustled  the  oak  leaves,  the  air  was 
filled  with  the  cries  of  wild  ducks  flocking  to  the 
reedy  marshes,  the  screams  of  circling  sea-gulls, 
and  the  loud  cohonk  of  geese  flying  wedge-like 
early  southward. 

The  world  was  full  of  life  and  she  a  living 
woman  within  it,  she  throbbed  with  its  fulness 
and  thrilled  with  its  beauty.  She  was  content. 


SIR  CHRISTOPHER 

A  Romance  of  a  Maryland  Manor  in  1644 

By  MAUD  WILDER  GOODWIN,  author  of  "White 
Aprons,**  etc.  Illustrated  by  HOWARD  PYLE  and  other 
artists.  I  zmo.  Decorated  cloth.  Price,  $1.50. 

The  author  of  that  capital  book,  "  The  Head  of  a  Hundred,"  has 
written  in  "  Sir  Christopher"  a  romance,  on  the  whole,  about  as  charming. 

—  Neiu  York  Tribune. 

A  notable  combination  of  dramatic  romance  with  what  is  known  as  the 
character  novel.  ...  It  is  one  of  the  true  books,  brimming  over  with 
the  love  of  life  and  fields  and  forests,  and  above  all  of  people.  —  Boston 
Transcript. 

The  story  is  full  of  incident  and  dramatic  surprises,  accompanied  by 
consistent  character  sketches  of  chivalric  men  and  charming  women.  — 
Philadelphia  Public  Ledger. 

As  a  romance  "  Sir  Christopher  "  is  flawless.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Goodwin  has 
made  another  of  her  happy  hits.  —  Providence  Telegram. 

Stands  out  conspicuous  among  the  crowd  of  romances  of  Colonial  days. 
.  .  .  Few  writers  of  her  school  have  succeeded  so  well  in  combining  the 
careful  delineation  of  character  with  the  elaboration  of  an  intricate  plot. 

—  The  Living  Age. 

Will  take  rank  with  the  foremost  historical  romances  yet  produced  in 
America.  —  Philadelphia  Press. 

One  of  the  strongest  and  most  wholesome  romances  ever  brought  forth 
from  that  most  romantic  of  all  sections,  Maryland  and  Virginia.  "  Sir 
Christopher"  contains  enough  good  material  for  a  half-dozen  first-class 
novels.  The  action  never  pauses,  and  the  characters  never  for  a  moment 
lose  their  hold  upon  the  reader.  —  Cleveland  World. 

It  is  the  sort  of  volume  one  is  proud  to  recommend.  —  New  York 
World. 

Peggy  is  a  fine  bit  of  work.  .  .  .  One  of  the  best  of  the  historical 
romances  of  American  Colonial  times.  As  a  love  story  it  is  full  of  charm. 

—  San  Francisco  Chronicle. 

The  author  has  breathed  into  a  strong  plot  that  tenderness  of  expression, 
that  piquancy  of  epigram,  that  delightful  humor,  that  fertility  of  de- 
scription, that  subtlety  of  argument  which  endeared  Sir  Walter  Scott  to 
his  readers.  —  Ne-w  York  Press. 

LITTLE,    BROWN,    AND    COMPANY 

Publishers    •    254  Washington  Street,  Boston 


THE     HE  AD    of 
A      HUNDRED 

In  the  Colony  of  Virginia,  1622 

By  MAUD  WILDER  GOODWIN,  author  of  "  Sir 
Christopher,"  "White  Aprons,"  "The  Colonial 
Cavalier,"  "Flint,"  etc.  Illustrated  edition.  With 
colored  miniature  and  five  full-page  pictures  by  JESSIE 
WILLCOX  SMITH,  WILFRED  S.  LUKENS,  SOPHIE  B.  STEEL, 
and  CHARLOTTE  HARDING.  1 2mo.  Decorated  Cloth. 
$1.50. 

Although  this  stirring  colonial  romance  was  written  in 
1895,  its  scene,  its  chief  historical  incident  and  several  of  its 
historical  characters  are  the  same  as  those  of  Miss  Johnston's 
popular  book,  "To  Have  and  to  Hold."  The  heroine,  Betty 
Romney,  comes  to  the  shores  of  Virginia  in  the  first  shipload 
of  wives  to  escape  a  titled  marriage  with  a  man  she  hates,  chosen 
by  her  father.  Among  the  historical  personages  who  figure  in 
"The  Head  of  a  Hundred"  are  John  Pory,  John  Rolfe,  and 
George  Thorp.  "  The  climax  of  the  story,"  says  a  writer  in 
the  New  York  Times,  "  is  the  same  in  both  books,  the  bloody 
Indian  uprising  of  the  period  in  which  both  heroes  distinguish 
themselves." 

This  new  illustrated  edition  of  Mrs.  Goodwin's  charming 
companion  romance  to  her  delightful  and  highly  successful  story, 
"  White  Aprons,"  is  printed  from  a  new  set  of  plates  and 
well  illustrated,  and  presents  in  attractive  form  a  book  that 
since  its  first  publication  has  found  thousands  of  readers. 
"The  Head  of  a  Hundred"  has  met  with  favor  both  as  an 
accurate  picture  of  the  early  days  of  Virginia,  and  as  a  fresh 
and  entertaining  romance. 

LITTLE,    BROWN,    AND     COMPANY 
Publishers     •     254  Washington  Street,  Boston 


WHITE    APRONS 

A  Romance  of  Bacon's  Rebellion,  Virginia,  1676 

By  MAUD  WILDER  GOODWIN,  author  of  "The 
Head  of  a  Hundred,"  etc.  New  Illustrated  Edition, 
from  new  type.  izmo.  Decorated  cloth.  $1.50. 

The  Scene  is  in  part  Virginia,  and  in  part  the  Court  of 
Charles  the  Second.  The  historical  basis  of  the  romance  is  the 
episode  known  as  "  Bacon's  Rebellion,"  but  the  author  has 
woven  into  it  a  charming  love  story,  and  given  to  the  whole 
narrative  much  dramatic  interest. 

A  charming  story.  ...  Its  fidelity  to  the  conditions  prevailing  in  the 
Virginia  colony  at  the  time  is  carefully  sustained. — The  Re-view  of  Re-views. 

It  is  no  less  a  success  as  a  literary  monument  than  as  a  piece  of  most 
entertaining  fiction.  Its  love  notes  are  pure  and  sweet,  and  withal  inspir- 
ing. Almost  any  scene  picked  out  at  random  is  a  quotable  instance  of 
genuine  ability. —  Boston  Herald. 

As  sweet  and  pure  a  bit  of  fiction  as  often  comes  in  the  reader's  way. 

—  Detroit  Free  Press. 

A  beautiful  little  story,  sweet  and  inspiring,  not  less  clever  than  true. 

—  New  York  Times. 

Mrs.  Goodwin  invests  her  romance  with  a  crispness  and  freshness  that 
set  it  far  above  the  ordinary  novel,  wherein  facts  and  fiction  are  thrown 
together.  — •  Chicago  Post. 

FT     T  NTT  By  MAUD  WILDER  GOODWIN. 
1     *~*  L  1^     A      i6mo.     Decorated  cloth.      $1.25. 

Mrs.  Goodwin  is  at  her  best  in  dialogue,  and  some  very  spirited  con- 
versations are  distributed  through  the  book.  —  Providence  Journal. 

The  story  abounds  in  bright,  almost  epigrammatic  sayings  and  spark- 
ling flashes  of  merriment  and  wit,  and  altogeth«r  is  as  sweet  and  pure  a 
piece  of  fiction  as  we  have  seen  for  many  a  dav.  —  Detroit  Free  Press. 

Miss  Wilkins  herself  could  not  ha«e  drawn  the  inn-keeper  and 
"general  grocer"  Marsden  more  truthfully  or  artistically.  Winifred  is  a 
lovely  creation  —  as  charming  a  piece  of  womankind  as  we  have  encount- 
ered for  some  time.  —  Buffalo  Commercial. 

A  quick,  sympathetic  study  of  human  nature  and  those  bonds  of  inter- 
est which  unite  human  souls. —  Boston  Herald. 

Sententious,  witty  sayings  appear  on  almost  every  page. —  Chicago 
J 

LITTLE,    BROWN,    AND    COMPANY 
Publishers    •    254  Washington   Street,    Boston 


Romances  of  Colonial  Virginia 

By  MAUD  WILDER   GOODWIN. 

Illustrated    Holiday    Edition.      2  vols.      i6mo. 
Cloth,  extra,  gilt  tops,  put  up  in  neat  box,  $3.00. 

I.  The   Head   of  a   Hundred,    in   the   Colony 
of  Virgina,  1622 

By  MAUD  WILDER  GOODWIN.  Illustrated  with  five  full- 
page  photogravure  plates  from  drawings  by  Jessie  Willcox 
Smith,  Sophie  B.  Steel,  Charlotte  Harding,  and  Win- 
field  S.  Lukens ;  four  decorative  headings  by  Clyde  O. 
De  Land  ;  and  an  ornamental  titlepage  by  K.  Pyle. 

II.  White  Aprons 

A  Romance  of  Bacon's  Rebellion,  Virginia,  1676.  By 
MAUD  WILDER  GOODWIN.  Illustrated  with  five  full-page 
photogravure  plates  from  drawings  by  A.  McMakin, 
Clyde  O.DeLand,  L.  R.  Dougherty,  Margaret  F.  Winner, 
and  Violet  Oakley  ;  four  decorative  headings  by  Clyde 
O.  De  Land  ;  and  an  ornamental  titlepage  by  K.  Pyle. 

The  Colonial  Cavalier 

Or,  Southern  Life  Before  the  Revolution 

By  MAUD  WILDER  GOODWIN.      New  edition,  with  notes. 

With    numerous    full-page    and   smaller    illustrations  by 

Harry  Edwards.      I  2mo.      Cloth,  extra,  gilt  top,  $2.00. 

Full  crushed  morocco,  gilt  edges,  $4.50. 

This  thoughtful  and  most  suggestive  and  entertaining  study 
of  the  domestic  and  social  life  of  the  early  settlers  of  Virginia 
and  Maryland  has  received  the  highest  praise. 

It  gives  us,  through  the  old-time  gossip  of  letters  and  diaries,  and  the 
homely  details  of  life  and  customs,  a  fireside  intimacy  luith  old  Virginian 
and  Maryland  life  'which  ive  have  never  had  before.  —  Ntiv  York  Even- 
ing Post. 

A  delightful  sketch  of  the  colonial  cavalier  in  his  home,  church,  state, 
and  social  relations.  We  are  made  acquainted  with  the  whole  man.  — 
The  Outlook. 

LITTLE,     BROWN,     AND     COMPANY 
Publishers     •   254  Washington  Street,   Boston 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 

Los  Angeles 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


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Mistress  Brent, 


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